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Mikel Arteta mocked by Carabao Cup organisers following excuse for Arsenal defeat

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Mikel Arteta has been mocked by Carabao Cup organisers after his bizarre ball moan.

Arteta said the different Puma ball used in the competition was a reason why his players put so many shots over the crossbar in their semi final defeat to Newcastle. It has prompted huge debate and even amusement among supporters after Arsenal could not score despite having 23 shots at the Emirates.

The Carabao Cup’s official Twitter feed – which has nearly 600,000 fans – poked fun by posting a meme of US rapper 50 Cent above a clip of Arteta’s post-match interview. The picture is supposed to depict utter bemusement which then fits in with the general feeling about Arteta’s complaints.

EFL bosses have also followed up with a statement defending the ball which is different from the Nike ball used in the Premier League. The statement said: “As is required throughout the professional game, the PUMA ball used in this season’s Carabao Cup and in EFL competition since 2021/22 is tested in accordance with the FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs, and meets the FIFA Quality Pro standard.

“In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has been successfully used in other major European leagues, including both Serie A and LaLiga and our three divisions in the EFL. All Clubs play with the same ball, and we have received no further comments of this nature following any of the previous 88 fixtures which have taken place in this season’s Carabao Cup.”

It was Arteta who initially brought up the ball in a question about his strikers and their wayward finishing. Arteta said: “We also 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.”

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That then led to him being asked again about the ball and whether he shared reservations with other managers like Pep Guardiola. He then followed it up with a general comment about the ball and said his players needed to adapt.

Arteta then said: “No, it’s just different. Very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently, when you touch it the grip is very different as well so you adapt to that.”

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