“In football, the worst things are excuses,” Pep Guardiola once said. “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.

“It flies differently, when you touch it the grip is very different,” Arteta fretted, ignoring the fact that his side had scored 11 goals in three previous matches with the same ball design.

The English Football League (EFL) which runs England’s secondary cup competition hit back at Arteta’s comments with a sharply-worded statement: “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 La Liga 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.”

Arteta’s fears over inadequate equipment may be piqued once again when Arsenal host Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Sunday afternoon. Mitre revealed that every cup tie involving the reigning champions will be played with a unique “gold limited edition Ultimax Pro” ball this season.

Gold, rather than silver, colouring is the only difference between the ball used in Sunday’s match at the Emirates and the 63 other third-round ties. However, Mitre are not the same company which produces the Premier League ball which Arteta seems to value above all others, that honour belongs to Nike – for now.

Puma, the manufacturers of the contentious Carabao Cup design, have agreed a deal to provide the Premier League’s match ball from the 2025/26 season onwards.

Arteta has been ridiculed for his feeble attempt at explaining away Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle, but he isn’t the first manager to conjure obscure excuses.

The Spaniard’s former Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez was famous for complaining about any and all minutiae he could think off. The grass was too long, the pitch too small and the sun too strong.

Even Guardiola has ignored his own advice regarding excuses. After a Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017 – which Arteta watched from the bench as an assistant coach – Manchester City’s manager moaned: “It is not acceptable, the ball was unacceptable for a high-level competition.”

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