"Excuses mean you cannot grow or move forward." Mikel Arteta learned many lessons from his former mentor but seems to have disregarded that particular pearl of wisdom. Arsenal's increasingly beleaguered boss blamed the "tricky" ball used in the Carabao Cup after his side's wayward performance in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta has done a fine job since taking over at Arsenal in December 2019, but he’s come out with some bizarre excuses in that time. Being a Premier League manager is undoubtedly one of the most stressful jobs going and sometimes that becomes apparent during post-match interviews.

Mikel Arteta lamented Arsenal’s inefficiency in front of goal compared to Newcastle and Alexander Isak, but backed his players to turn around the 2-0 Carabao Cup deficit – so long as they adapt to the “tricky” ball being used in the competition.