Mikel Arteta has scolded Arsenal for their waste in their 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg loss to Newcastle and suggested the ball used in the contest played a role.
Arsenal wasted successive chances at the Emirates Stadium as goals from Alexander Isaac and Anthony Gordon put Newcastle in control of the tie ahead of next month’s second leg.
The Gunners had 3.09 expected goals from 23 shots but missed their best chances in the second period when Gabriel Martinelli hit the post in the first half and Kai Havertz sent a free header awkwardly wide. At close range.
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Highlights from the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Newcastle United
Numerous chances flew over the crossbar and Arteta recalled Arsenal’s poor scoring performance, citing the differences between the Puma-made ball used in the competition and the Nike-made ball used in the Premier League. His press conference.
When asked what he could do to improve his players’ finishing, he said: “Nothing. Just show them and give them tips on how we can do better.”
“I think we kicked a lot of balls over the bar, which is tricky because they fly a lot. We discussed that, so there are details we can do better.”
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Kai Havertz missed a chance to score.
Asked again about the ball, Arteta added: “It’s just different. It’s just very different to a Premier League ball. The ball flies differently so you have to adapt to that. The grip when you touch the ball is very different so you have to adapt to that. You have to adapt to that.
“But in the end it’s gone and there’s no going back. It’s about the next game and that’s our world and the reality of our world.”
Arsenal failed to score with 23 shots.
Arsenal had no trouble using the same ball in previous rounds of the competition, scoring a combined 11 goals in ties against Bolton, Preston and Crystal Palace.
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Gabriel Martinelli hit the post.
But their wayward finishing against Newcastle was in stark contrast to Newcastle’s ruthlessness, with two goals coming from a total of seven shots.
Arteta added: “If you look at what both teams produced and how dominant the game was, it’s obviously not a result that reflects the story of the game, but the reality is they were very efficient with the opportunities they had, which wasn’t the case.
“There are things we could have done better. We were unlucky in the moment. You need a certain luck to get the ball to bounce there. You need intuition as well. If not, we would have to create more.
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Jurien Timber approaches from close range.
“That’s something we can do, and then we’ll have a better chance of winning. But certainly producing what we produced against this team, looking back on the last six games I’ve seen, I’ve never seen anything like that. But unfortunately. The result was 02.”
Arsenal head to St James’ Park on Wednesday February 5 looking to climb a mountain but Arteta has faith his side can turn the tables.
He added, “I should be disappointed because it was another result I wanted, but that’s reality.” “I completely believe it. I saw our team play against them. I believe we can do it.”
