LONDON, United Kingdom, January 7, 2025 – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta still believes his side can reach the Carabao Cup final – but says his players must first master the “tricky” ball used in the competition.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle in Tuesday’s semi-final first leg after goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Arsenal had 23 shots during the match but just three were on target, as Gabriel Martinelli struck the post and Kai Havertz headed a simple chance wide.
When he was asked about the missed chances in his post-match news conference, Arteta said he would not tell his players to change anything, but did mention the impact the ball had.
“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better,” he said.
“But at the end that’s gone – there’s no way back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world, the reality is our world.
“It’s just half-time. When I see the team play, and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team, I must say I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.”
Prior to the defeat by Newcastle, the Gunners had scored 11 goals in three EFL Cup ties so far this season.
The ball in the competition is made by Puma, while the ball used in the Premier League is manufactured by Nike.
“It’s just different,” said Arteta when asked to go into more detail about the ball.
“It’s very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different.
“When you touch it the grip is very different as well, so you adapt to that.”
Does Arteta have a point?
While Arsenal were made to pay for their wayward finishing against the Magpies, the numbers from their previous three ties in this year’s competition do not suggest the ball has been too much of a problem for them.
They thrashed Bolton 5-1 in their opening game, before beating Preston 3-0 and Crystal Palace 3-2 to reach the last four.
Their shooting stats in the EFL Cup are also broadly similar to both the Premier League and Champions League, with Adidas manufacturing the ball used in Europe’s elite club competition.
- Before Tuesday’s semi-final first leg, 27 of Arsenal’s 51 shots in the EFL Cup this season were on target – an average of 53%.
- In the Premier League, 102 of Arsenal’s 197 shots have been on target – an average of 52%.
- In the Champions League, 33 of Arsenal’s 57 shots have been on target – an average of 58%.
