Pep Guardiola shared Mikel Arteta’s Carabao Cup complaint for Newcastle defeat

Mikel Arteta pointed the finger at the ball following Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night - an excuse previously used by Pep Guardiola in the same competition years ago.

The Gunners were undone by the in-form Magpies forward Alexander Isak, with the Swedish star netting one and contributing to Anthony Gordon's second, giving Eddie Howe's team a significant lead going into the second leg. However, it was Arteta's post-match remarks that really raised eyebrows.

It's well-documented that Arteta honed his managerial skills under Manchester City's Guardiola, having spent over three years on the City bench as the former Barcelona manager's assistant coach. It seems he absorbed more than just tactical wisdom from his time in Manchester however, with his unusual excuse closely echoing what Guardiola said in a Carabao Cup match seven years ago.

Arteta maintained that the match ball used in the competition, which differs from those used in the Premier League and Champions League, played a significant role in his team's defeat and led to Arsenal squandering numerous opportunities against Newcastle. The Nike 'Flight' ball is currently the official ball of the Premier League, while a Puma branded ball is deployed in the Carabao Cup.

Arteta suggested that the ball's characteristics might have influenced Arsenal's missed opportunities, with both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli failing to convert their chances. "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," he said post-match, as per the Mirror.

"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."

Guardiola previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the ball after City's narrow penalty shootout victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October 2017, which saw them advance to the League Cup quarter-finals. The Mitre ball, then typically seen in Football League matches, was at the centre of Guardiola's complaints.

"It is not acceptable, the ball was unacceptable for a high-level competition," he said. "It is too light, it moves all over the place, it is not a good ball. It is impossible to score with a ball like that and I can say that because we won, I'm not making excuses.

"All of my players said: 'What is that?', I'm sorry the Carabao Cup is not a serious ball for a serious competition. It's [for] marketing, money, OK but it's not acceptable [it has] no weight, nothing. The ball is bad for one year or two years, it's not acceptable. All the players complain."

City secured the Carabao Cup that season, marking the first of four League Cup victories under his leadership. Meanwhile, while Arteta has yet to win tournament with Arsenal, some pundits see immense similarities between him and his former mentor.

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry even once likened Arteta to a "mini" version of Guardiola. It's unlikely Henry meant to extend this comparison to Arteta's post-match excuses, but he did highlight the undeniable coaching similarities between Arteta and the City boss.

Speaking on David Seaman's podcast in August 2023, Henry said, "He's like a mini Pep," adding: "I'm happy, you know but I'm not going to say he's not, he is. When I say he's a mini Pep, he is, so to speak, he is going to put his own sauce in it, as you can see. He's very different in certain ways, but the tactics are virtually the same.

"The demeanour, the way he is, the way he talks very well to the press. I like his attitude, his demeanour, the way he is as a coach, the way they trust him. So now the only thing that is missing is obviously winning the title."

Arteta is now facing a challenging task to reverse Arsenal's fortunes against Newcastle. With just the FA Cup in his managerial trophy cabinet at Arsenal, Arteta may have viewed his team's progression to the Carabao Cup semi-final as a golden opportunity to add more significant silverware.

Despite the setback, he remains optimistic about his team's prospects when they face off against the Toon Army at St James' Park on February 5. "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," he said.

"If you look at what both teams produced and the dominance it's not the result that reflects the story of the game but the reality is they were super efficient with the chances they had and we weren't."