Mikel Arteta lamented Arsenal’s wastefulness in their 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Newcastle and suggested the ball used in the competition was a contributing factor.
Arsenal missed a succession of chances at the Emirates Stadium as goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon put Newcastle in control ahead of next month’s second leg.
The Gunners had 23 shots worth 3.09 expected goals, but managed to direct just three on target, with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the post in the first half and Kai Havertz missing their best opportunity in the second half when he sent a free header clumsily wide. at point blank range.
A number of other chances flew over the crossbar and Arteta discussed the differences between the ball used in the competition, made by Puma, and the one used in the Premier League, made by Nike, when reflecting on Arsenal’s scoring difficulties in his press conference.
When asked what he could do to help his players improve their finishing, he replied: “Nothing, just try to show them and give them advice on what we can do better.
“I think we sent a lot of balls over the bar and it’s tricky that that ball flies a lot. We discussed that as well, so there are details we can improve.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Kai Havertz misses glorious scoring chance
Asked about the ball again, Arteta added: “It’s just different, it’s just very different to the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to it because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is also very different, so you have to adapt to that.
“But in the end it’s over, there’s no going back, it’s about the next game, and that’s our world, the reality of our world.”
Arsenal failed to score from 23 shots on goal
Arsenal have had no such problems in previous rounds of the competition, scoring a combined total of 11 goals in their matches against Bolton, Preston and Crystal Palace using the same ball.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gabriel Martinelli hits the post
Against Newcastle, however, their wayward finishing was in stark contrast to Newcastle’s ruthlessness, with their two goals coming from a total of just seven shots.
Arteta added: “If you look at what both teams produced and the domination of the game, obviously it’s not the result that reflects the story of the match, but the reality is that they were super effective with the opportunities they had, and we didn’t.
“There are things we could have done better. We were unlucky at times. It takes some luck for the ball to bounce there. It also takes that intuition. And if not, we’ll have to generate more .
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jurrien Timber heads in from close range
“That’s what we can do, then the probability of us winning will be higher. But certainly, against this team, producing what we produced, looking at the last six games that I watched, I didn’t not seen But the result unfortunately shows zero-two.
Arsenal travel to St James’ Park on Wednesday February 5 with a mountain to climb, but Arteta is confident his side can turn things around.
“We must be disappointed because it’s another result that we wanted, but it’s the reality,” he added. “I fully believe in it. I saw my team play against them, I believe we can do it.”
