This article was updated on January 9 to reflect the ball used in Sunday’s FA Cup third round match between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Mikel Arteta had no doubts.
The Arsenal manager was dissecting an embarrassing 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday when – unannounced by a journalist in the room – he raised an unlikely issue that , in his opinion, would help explain his team’s inability to convert. all 23 of their shots that night turned into goals.
“We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s difficult that these balls fly a lot, so there are details that we can do better,” Arteta said at the post-match press conference.
When later asked to explain his comments, he added: “(The Carabao Cup ball) is very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is also very different, so you adapt to that.”
Arsenal were certainly loose, with Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all missing good opportunities. But was it really the fault of the ball used, the Orbita 1, made by German manufacturer Puma?
Newcastle strikers Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon seemed to have no problem as they converted their own side’s chances, and the ball had not stopped Arsenal in previous rounds of the competition, where they scored 11 goals in three games against Preston North End. , Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace.
Arteta’s complaints were met with skepticism in many quarters, not least from the English Football League (EFL), which organizes the Carabao Cup, English football’s second cup competition after the FA Cup.
“In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has been used successfully in other major European competitions, including both Serie A and La Liga and our three divisions in the EFL,” it said in a statement. “All clubs play with the same ball (in the competition) and we have not received any further comments of this nature following any of the previous 88 matches that have taken place in this season’s Carabao Cup.”
Puma has not yet responded The Athletics‘s request for comment.
But was Arteta’s outburst so bizarre? After all, there are two external factors (apart from the players) that significantly influence the outcome of a football match: the field and the ball. It stands to reason, then, that any unexpected variation in either could potentially influence the outcome.
As Premier League clubs, Arsenal and Newcastle are used to training and playing with the Nike Flight ball. The American company Nike has supplied the footballs used in the English top flight since the 2000-2001 season, when it replaced the British company Miter as ball manufacturer. Since then, players have prepared and played with the balls in league matches. However, sometimes they are obliged to change.
Arsenal will also play in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League this season, using a different ball (made by different manufacturers) each time. In addition to Puma’s Orbita 1, Adidas supplies the balls for the Champions League and Miter for the FA Cup.
It was confirmed on Thursday that the ball used in Sunday’s third round clash with Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium would be a special gold edition of the Ultimax Pro model – a nod to United winning the competition last season.
Something for the winners… 🏆
As current holders of @EmiratesFACup 23/24 season, @ManUtd will play against Arsenal in the third round on Sunday with this limited edition golden Ultimax Pro match ball.
Let’s see if they can reach the final… pic.twitter.com/LlekjNQAZh
— Miter Sports (@MitreSports) January 9, 2025
Although they all have similar sizes and are made of similar materials, small changes in design can make a noticeable difference.“The more ‘perfect’ a ball is, the more likely it is to be erratic,” says Justin Lea, founder of ball manufacturer Hayworth Athletic. “They all have their own personality. If you look at the FIFA ball rules, there are ranges for everything. A ball can only hold a certain amount of water when a field is wet. There is a range in the spherical shape of the ball and the bounce of the ball.
The laws of the game are a regular size 5 ball must have a circumference of 68-70 cm (26.8-27.6 in) at the start of the match and weigh between 410 and 450 grams (14-16 oz). It should also be inflated to a pressure of 0.6-1.1 bar at sea level.
The Premier League uses the Nike Flight 2024 ball (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
“There’s a certain amount of intuition with a ball,” says Lea. “For example, the Brilliant Super from Select goes exactly where you want it. But the more “perfect” a ball is, the more likely it is to be erratic. Some with thermal bonding technology and high-performance materials can become so spherical that the dynamics and trajectory change. They can go in many different directions.”
At the 2010 Men’s World Cup in South Africa, it wasn’t just the honking sound of fans blowing vuvuzelas, a trumpet-like musical instrument, into the crowd that dominated the discussion. Adidas’ now infamous Jabulani was also a hot topic, becoming perhaps the most recognized and controversial ball in the sport’s modern history.
The Jabulani consisted of eight thermally bonded panels with a textured surface (called Grip ‘n’ Groove by Adidas), which were said to improve aerodynamics. For the players at that World Cup, however, it proved a nightmare, with both goalkeepers and field players complaining of the balls swinging uncontrollably after being kicked.
“It’s sad that such an important match has such an important element as this ball of terrible condition,” Iker Casillas, whose Spanish side would win the final, said in response. reported by the BBC. This was reported by a Brazilian news channel Oh GloboMeanwhile, Brazilian player Julio Cesar described it as “terrible” and like “the ones sold in supermarkets”.
Casillas didn’t like the Jabulani ball from the 2010 World Cup (Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the fiercest opponents was former Liverpool midfielder Craig Johnston, who after the end of his playing career became an expert in applying science to football equipment and helped design the original Adidas Predator boot. In a twelve-page letter of complaint to Sepp Blatter, then president of world football’s governing body, which was reproduced by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraphwrote Johnston: “Whoever is responsible for this should be taken out and shot for crimes against football.”
The general contemporary opinion around the Jabulani was that it was not fit for purpose, but it was not universally disliked.
Clint Dempsey, who sneaked a shot under the body of goalkeeper Rob Green to equalize in the USMNT’s 1-1 group stage draw against England, said at a pre-tournament press conference, reported by FOX Sports: “If you just hit the ball hard, you can get a good knuckle on the ball… you just have to pay a little more attention when you pass the ball every now and then.”
It also gave former Uruguay and Manchester United striker Diego Forlan his decisive tournament.
His former colleague Diego Abreu in the national team told the Uruguayan newspaper El Futbolero in 2020 that Forlan got Adidas to send him a Jabulani three months before the World Cup started, so he would practice shooting and taking free kicks with it. As it turned out, Forlan finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer, with his five goals helping Uruguay reach the semi-finals. Such was his mastery of the Jabulani that he also left South Africa with the Goal of the Tournament award and the Golden Ball, given to the one voted the competition’s best player.
Forlan practiced extensively with a Jabulani before the 2010 World Cup (Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images)
The Jabulani remains possibly the most extreme modern example of a football’s effect on the quality and direction of a shot, and it is unlikely we will see such an outlier again. Still, even 15 years later, many players feel noticeable differences when switching between different brands of balls.
“When I moved to the Premier League and started playing with the Nike balls compared to the Miter balls in the Championship, I noticed they felt so much lighter,” says former Reading and Cardiff City striker Adam Le Fondre. “I had the feeling that it would give me a little more exercise.
“Miter balls looked more like cannonballs. They would not deviate or deviate from plan; they would act in an honest manner. As a striker you might want a little more play on it, or even if you don’t connect well with it, the Nike ball in the Premier League might still have gone in. They gave me a little more help.”
This doesn’t just happen in football.
In October, JJ Redick, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, complained about the use of new basketballs instead of already worn ones in the NBA.
“I’m going to make a request to the league tomorrow that we play with worn-out basketballs,” Redick, who previously played 15 seasons in the NBA, told several media outlets during a post-game press conference. “I’m not sure why we can play real games with brand new basketballs. Anyone who has ever touched a brand new NBA ball feels different from a worn-out basketball.
Lakers head coach Redick was unhappy with using new basketballs instead of worn-out ones (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
At the start of the 2021-2022 season, the NBA switched ball manufacturers from Spalding to Wilson, which was cited as one of the reasons for a league-wide decline in shooting percentages. “It’s just a different basketball. It doesn’t have the same touch and softness as the Spalding ball,” Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George said in response. press conference after the match. “You’re going to see a lot of bad misses this year. You’ve seen a lot of airballs (shots that completely miss the ring, the net, and even the backboard). Again, not to make an excuse or blame the basketball, but it is different.”
It didn’t take long for players to get used to the different feel of the Wilson balls, and shooting percentages rose again. Still, it highlights how small differences can affect elite athletes who are familiar with a particular piece of equipment.
Arsenal used the Puma Orbita 1 in training on Monday during the short period between the 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton on Saturday and the meeting with Newcastle (who have had extra time to get used to the Puma ball as they played in the league this season). Carabao Cup one round ahead of Arsenal, as the latter received a bye after qualifying for Europe). But judging by his comments, Arteta must surely be asking himself whether he should roll them out sooner in preparation for the decisive second leg at St James’ Park on February 5.
Plus, any extra time his players get with those balls could serve as Forlan-like preparation for next season. Puma has a deal to be the official football supplier of the Premier League from 2025-26.
(Top photos: Arteta and the controversial Orbita 1; Getty Images)