Pep Guardiola has said the ball used in the FA Cup is "not right" after his Manchester City team struggled in front of goal during their 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
City had 29 shots against the Championship side, but needed two set-piece goals -- both scored by teenager Nico O'Reilly -- as they fought back from 1-0 down. Kevin De Bruyne sealed the victory with a close-range finish in stoppage time. Of City's 29 shots, only nine were on target with 10 blocked and another 10 going wide.
"It's difficult to control [the ball]," Guardiola said. "For many years, many players and managers say about that. When you lose it [sounds like] you're complaining but the ball is not right. In many years it's happened in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, I know it's a business and they come to agreements. You know how many shots went over the post? Look at other games."
An FA Spokesperson responded to any criticism of the ball used in cup games with the following statement: "Mitre's Ultimax Pro ball - used in the Emirates FA Cup and all other FA Competitions - has been tested in accordance with FIFA testing. All footballs in the professional game are required to meet the FIFA Quality pro accreditation, and this ball delivers against all of the testing requirements.
"Alongside Mitre, we understand that preference is subjective, but we're confident that the ball performs well. With over 350 goals scored in the knockout competition so far, it provides an exciting element to such a competitive tournament."
Mikel Arteta was also critical of the ball used in the Carabao Cup after Arsenal fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle.
His team had 23 shots in their semifinal first leg at the Emirates in January but only hit the target with three, prompting the Spaniard to say "the ball flies a lot."
The ball used in the Carabao Cup is manufactured by Puma and the FA Cup ball is made by Mitre. The Premier League ball is made by Nike and the ball used in the Champions League is made by adidas.
"I've said it for many years," Guardiola said. "There are things out of our control, I've said my opinion. The ball in the Champions League is exceptional, the ball in the Premier League is exceptional, this one isn't."