“In football, excuses are the worst thing,” Pep Guardiola once said. “Excuses mean you can’t grow or move forward.”
Mikel Arteta learned many lessons from his former mentor but seems to have ignored this particular piece of wisdom. Arsenal’s ever-beleaguered coach blamed “tricky” ball use in the Carabao Cup after his side’s poor performance in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday.
“It flies differently, when you touch it the grip is completely different,” fretted Arteta, ignoring the fact that his team had scored 11 goals in three previous games with the same ball design.
The English Football League (EFL), which hosts England’s second cup competition, responded to Arteta’s comments with a strongly worded statement: “As is required throughout the professional game, the Puma ball will be used in the Carabao Cup this season and in the EFL since 2021. Competition used.” 22 has been tested in accordance with the Fifa quality program for footballs and complies with the Fifa Quality Pro standard.
“In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has also been used successfully in other major European leagues, including both Serie A and La Liga and our three divisions in the EFL. All clubs play with the same ball and we have not received any more.” Comments of this nature after one of the previous 88 games that took place in the Carabao Cup this season.
Something for the winners… 🏆
As the current owner of @EmiratesFACup Season 23/24, @ManUtd will play against Arsenal on Sunday in the 3rd round with this limited edition gold Ultimax Pro match ball.
Let’s see if they make it to the final… pic.twitter.com/LlekjNQAZh
— Miter Sports (@MitreSports) January 9, 2025
Arteta’s fears about inadequate equipment could be fueled again when Arsenal host Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon. Miter announced that every cup game involving the reigning champions this season will be played with a unique Gold Limited Edition Ultimax Pro ball.
The gold instead of silver color is the only difference between the ball used in Sunday’s game at the Emirates and the 63 other games in the third round. However, Miter is not the same company that makes the Premier League ball that Arteta apparently values above all else; That honor goes to Nike – for now.
Puma, the manufacturer of the controversial Carabao Cup design, has agreed a deal to supply the Premier League match ball from the 2025/26 season.
Arteta was ridiculed for his feeble attempt to explain Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, but he is not the first manager to conjure up obscure excuses.
The Spaniard’s former Barcelona teammate, Xavi Hernandez, was known for complaining about every little thing he could think of. The grass was too long, the field was too small and the sun was too strong.
Even Guardiola has ignored his own advice about making excuses. After a Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017 – which Arteta watched from the bench as assistant coach – the Manchester City manager groaned: “This is not acceptable, the ball was for a high level competition unacceptable.”
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