With a loss at St. James’ Park, Arsenal left a cup tournament for the thirteenth time since winning the 2020 FA Cup; they were deemed “toothless” by Gary Neville and must deal with problems in the summer transfer window.
Gary Neville referred to Arsenal as “toothless” in attack as they whimpered out of the Carabao Cup, demonstrating their lack of innovation once again.
Newcastle defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the second leg of the semi-final, which helped them win 4-0 overall and advance to the Carabao Cup final.
Having already been eliminated from the FA Cup, the Gunners, who have come under fire for failing to buy a forward during the January transfer window, only managed to score 0.94 goals in a match when they needed to win by two goals or more to maintain their prospects of winning a domestic title this season.
The 2020 FA Cup is still Arsenal’s lone significant trophy under Mikel Arteta. With the exception of this year’s Champions League, they have been eliminated from the 13 cup competitions they have since entered and have not advanced to a final under the Spaniard.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal (agg: 4-0):
Alexander Isak of Newcastle, whose shot had already been disallowed when it bounced off the post and allowed Jacob Murphy to open the score, was too strong for the normally powerful duo of Gabriel and William Saliba.
Neville, who is co-commenting for Sky Sports, stated that Isak’s performance demonstrated how much more subdued Arsenal is in comparison in the offensive areas.
He continued: “This has shown a massive spotlight on the toothlessness of Arsenal’s forward players compared to what we’re seeing at the other end of the pitch.”He responded, “That’s a given,” when asked if they must strengthen during the summer. They must.
“I understand that they didn’t panic throughout the window and were able to find the player they wanted.
“But when the bid went in for Ollie Watkins, they are sending a message to the rest of the squad, the ones up front aren’t good enough… this game confirms it.”
When asked if they have to strengthen in the summer, he said: “That’s a given. They have to.
“I was supportive of them not panicking in the window, finding the player they want, I get that.
“But when the bid went in for Ollie Watkins, they are sending a message to the rest of the squad, the ones up front aren’t good enough… this game confirms it.”
Speaking after the 2-0 to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted that Newcastle were better in both boxes over the two legs which proved to be the difference between the two sides
Mikel Arteta speaking in his press conference:
“We had so many expectations to turn this around but we didn’t get any momentum despite having some big moments in the first half. We didn’t capitalize and the next action they scored. The game then shifted. We then needed to stay cool to score a goal but we didn’t manage to do that. Then in the second half we struggled as the game went by and the game went away from us.
“When you want to win trophies you need to be effective in the boxes. We have played two games against them and haven’t [been effective]. Overall that was the main difference. Today we were a little unsettled when the game became more chaotic we are normally more composed but we lacked a bit of that.
“Emotionally, it was a different game to think we could reach that level of intensity, and we knew it would be high. And the game slipped away from us before we knew it.
“This is a difficult one that we must accept. Our expectations were really high. We have to do it on the field; there is nothing else we can do. We must now turn to the future. It hurts. We have a lot to play for in Dubai, so we need to rejuvenate.
“We are usually very consistent and calm, but today we gave them hope. Errors are a part of football.” They are a dangerous squad when they can run like that, and we were exposed when we let them.”
Merson: Newcastle thrashed Arsenal, but Arteta was unaffected Paul Merson of Sky Sports:
“You must give Newcastle all the credit they deserve. Newcastle was excellent, in my opinion, but this is a two-leg match. This isn’t a one-time match where Newcastle might get lucky, someone gets sent off, or something goes horribly wrong.
“They really demolished Arsenal in this two-leg match. 4-0 overall. Arsenal failed to show up. It’s a different game if Odegaard scores with his right foot, even if I know they win 4-0. They move up the other end thirty seconds later, but that’s football.
