Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta still believes his side can reach the Carabao Cup final, but says his players must first master the “difficult” ball used in the competition.
Arsenal lost 2-0 to Newcastle in the first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Arsenal took 23 shots during the match, but only three of them were on target, as Gabriel Martinelli hit the post and Kai Havertz headed wide of the goal.
When asked about the missed opportunities in his post-match press conference, Arteta said he would not ask his players to change anything, but mentioned the impact of the ball.
“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it's difficult for those balls to fly a lot, so there are details we can do better,” he said.
“But in the end it's over, there's no way back, it's about the next game and this is our world, reality is our world.
“It's only half time. When I see the team playing, how we handle a lot of situations and play against a very good team, I have to say I have full faith that we can go out there and do it.”
Before the defeat to Newcastle, the Gunners had scored 11 goals in three UEFA Cup ties so far this season.
The ball used in the competition is made by Puma, while the ball used in the English Premier League is made by Nike.
“It's completely different,” Arteta said when asked to go into more detail about the ball.
“It's completely different to a Premier League ball and you have to adapt to it because it flies differently.
“When you touch it, the grip is completely different too, so you adapt to that.”
