Arteta also admitted that his players had some issues with getting “out of the blocks” in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has attributed his team’s failure to win the first silverware of the season to his players’ inability to capitalise on “good moments” during the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
He made this known while speaking with journalists after his team lost the encounter 2-0 to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.
A brace from Nico O’Reilly in the second half ensured that Citizens coach Pep Guardiola won his fifth League Cup trophy during his time in England.
Reacting to the loss, Arteta blamed Arsenal’s failure to win the final on his players wasting the chances they created in the first half.
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He went on to add that his players struggled to get “out of the blocks” in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
“There were different moments in the game,” Arteta explained.
He added: “We had some really good ones in the first half; we had the biggest chance of the game by far and should have been 1-0 up.
“That would have changed the course of the game. In the second half, we had some issues getting out of the blocks in the first 20 minutes—some issues to get out from that block, to press them better, and to manage the ball much better than we did.
“We conceded the goal in an unexpected manner, and three minutes later they scored in similar conditions. Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition; they capitalised when they were on top and we didn’t.”
