Football managers tend to be some of the most stubborn individuals on planet Earth. A defeat can be the end of the world for tacticians who are so used to winning that anything less must be put down to outstanding circumstances.
The latest coach to stir up controversy with his excuse for a loss was Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard suggested the balls used in the Carabao Cup are ‘tricky’ after his Arsenal side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates against Newcastle United.
Arteta isn’t the first and probably won’t be the last manager to come up with such an outlandish defense over a defeat. Some of the most successful gaffers who have won Premier League titles or UEFA Champions League trophies have also used such arguments after tasting failure.
With that said, GIVEMESPORT looks at 10 of the most bizarre excuses managers have given in football history. This can include responses to losing a game, poor performances or a lack of form.
Mikel Arteta’s Tricky Ball Trouble
Arsenal Suffered Poor Home Defeat To Newcastle United
Mikel Arteta usually gets himself embroiled in bust-ups with the FA with controversial post-match interviews after tasting defeat. But on this occasion, he didn’t have officials to blame after Newcastle United beat Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final (January 7, 2025).
The Gunners were extremely wasteful on the night, placing just three of 23 shots on target. Gabriel Martinelli hit the post, and Kai Havertz spurned a golden opportunity.
Arteta was asked about his side’s lack of cutting-edge, but he suggested the Puma balls used in the cup competition played their part:
“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better… It’s very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different.”
Arteta took a page out of his former mentor, Pep Guardiola’s book, who used a similar excuse in October 2017. His Manchester City side crashed out of the Carabao Cup on penalties to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he claimed the Mitre balls used were “highly unacceptable”.
Kenny Dalglish’s Bouncy Ball Backlash
Newcastle Held To Embarrassing Draw By Stevenage Town
Speaking of balls, we move onto Kenny Dalglish, who spent his playing career firing them into the back of the net. The iconic Scottish striker took up an equally impressive managerial career, although it took a turn for the worst in 1998.
Dalglish’s Newcastle United were held to a humiliating 1-1 draw by Conference outfit Stevenage Town in an FA Cup third-round tie. The Scot responded to his side’s failure to beat the minnows by claiming “the balls were too bouncy”.
The Magpies were able to advance with a 2-1 win in the replay at St James’ Park. Dalglish got his Tyneside giants playing with balls to the wall, but his excuse for their first leg draw was simply ridiculous.
Jurgen Klopp’s Windy Merseyside Woe
Liverpool Frustrated by Merseyside Rivals Everton
Jurgen Klopp was renowned for his post-match interviews during his nine-year reign at Anfield. The German was a frosty individual if his side were beaten, and he wasn’t afraid to blame the weather for failure.
The first time Klopp pointed to the wind affecting his team’s play was in December 2015. Liverpool’s iconic former manager was two months into the job, trying to implement his Gegenpress philosophy. He was also familiarizing himself with the English weather, which of course, puts a damper on new foreign arrivals in the Premier League:
“The wind can be quite extreme in England. We are not familiar with that in Germany and you have to keep things simple. I have to adapt my style of football as a result as well. Often, you are forced to keep things simple.”
Klopp went on to be one of Liverpool’s most successful managers, guiding them to every major trophy available. But he continued to be under the weather throughout his reign and brought up the wind again after a frustrating 0-0 draw in the Merseyside Derby against Everton in March 2019:
“I know people don’t like it when I say it, but the wind came from all different directions.”
Jose Mourinho’s Ball Boy Blame
Real Madrid Beaten By Barcelona In Spanish Super Cup
Jose Mourinho has been a nuisance for officials and organizations throughout his managerial career. Nicknamed ‘The Special One’, he lived up to that moniker by carving out special moments across European football.
However, Mourinho can be a sore loser at times because of his desire to win. This was the case in August 2011 after his Real Madrid side lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. Lionel Messi bagged a late winner in a controversial clash at Camp Nou as the Blaugrana clinched the trophy with a 5-4 aggregate win.
Mourinho accused the Catalans of using underhanded tactics to claim victory. He argued that the hosts stopped using ball boys in the second half as they held a 2-1 lead:
“From the first minute of the second half there we no ball boys and no balls.”
It’s just one of a long list of hilarious excuses Mourinho has made while in the managerial dugout. Another brilliant defence came when Newcastle handed his Chelsea side defeat in December 2014. The Portuguese insisted the Magpies were time-wasting:
“You may as well put a cow in the middle of the pitch. And then stop the game because there was a cow.”
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Erik ten Hag’s Hypocrisy Over Manchester United ‘DNA’
The Dutchman Bought Ajax 2.0
Excitement was in the air at Old Trafford when Erik ten Hag was announced as Manchester United’s new manager in April 2022. The Dutch tactician earned a glowing reputation from his spell at Ajax, implementing an exciting brand of football that ultimately led to his appointment with the Red Devils.
Fans expected to see Ten Hag rebuild the club into a replica of his exciting Ajax side who beat Real Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League. He’d already bought Lisandro Martinez and Antony with him from the Johan Cruyff Arena, but the wheels started falling off with little playing identity at the back end of 2023.
Ten Hag responded to such queries over a poorly performing United:
“I cannot play the same way here. That is also not in the DNA of Manchester United. The football at Ajax is very characteristic, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, certainly in the front.”
These were bizarre comments from a manager who was appointed on the basis of his work at Ajax. They were perhaps the beginning of the end for Ten Hag at Old Trafford, who had five of his former Ajax stars in his United squad when he was sacked in November 2024.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Grey Day At The Dell
Manchester United Suffered Shock Loss vs Southampton
Excuses were rarely needed during Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26 trophy-laden seasons in charge of Manchester United. But when the Scot was on the losing side he often came up with some outrageous ideas about what led to a setback.
One of those occurred in April 1996 when an in-form United traveled to The Dell to face relegation-battling Southampton. Sir Alex’s men were expected to ease to victory, but they were 3-0 down by halftime in a shocking turn of events.
Ferguson reacted by getting his players to change kit, blaming the grey shirts they were initially wearing:
“The players don’t like the grey strip. The players couldn’t pick each other out. They said it was difficult to see their team-mates at distance when they lifted their heads. It was nothing to do with superstition.”
Superstition or not, the change of kit made little difference despite Ryan Giggs’ consolation strike. The Saints claimed a 3-1 win but that didn’t prevent Ferguson from guiding his side to the Premier League title. The grey strip was permanently put out of sight, out of mind.
Barry Fry’s Crazy Curse
Birmingham City Were In Disastrous Form
Barry Fry is one of football’s managerial mad men whose larger-than-life personality was a massive hit with fans of English football. He was tasked with guiding Birmingham City out of a gloomy period in December 1993. His reign started off well but then hit a roadblock, with the Blues going on a 15-game winless streak.
St Andrew’s wasn’t the fortress Fry needed it to be, but once he learned of a supposed 100-year-long curse on the stadium, he resorted to any means necessary to turn the tide. This included setting off to all four corners of the pitch and urinating as this would apparently ward off the curse.
Birmingham amazingly found form, winning seven of their next 10 games. The curse took its toll though, as Fry’s men suffered relegation.
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Alan Pardew Points Finger At Unplayed World Cup
Newcastle’s Struggles In 2013-14 Season
Turmoil was brewing at St James’ Park in 2014 with a large section of Newcastle fans wanting Alan Pardew out of the door. A disappointing second half to the 2013-14 Premier League season led to a 10th-placed finish.
Pardew’s explanation of the Magpies’ issues at the back end of that campaign was that they ‘were affected by the World Cup’. A World Cup that had yet to take place and one that only five of his players appeared at.
The English manager’s stance made little sense given clubs’ players succeeding at the time, such as Manchester City and Liverpool were heavily involved in the World Cup. He lasted six more months with the Tyneside giants.
Gareth Southgate Desperately Missing Kalvin Phillips
England’s Euro 2024 Midfield Experiment
Kalvin Phillips was dubbed ‘the English Pirlo’ and looked to be heading for the top of club and international football. That was until the midfielder made a consequential move from hometown club Leeds United to Manchester City in July 2022. His career nosedived as he lacked game time with Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens.
Gareth Southgate omitted the 31-cap Phillips from England’s squad for Euro 2024 amid a nightmare spell, including a loan move to forget at West Ham United. The Three Lions boss wanted a similar ball-playing midfield lynchpin and this was the birth of the controversial Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment.
A 1-1 draw against Denmark in their second group stage game led to heavy criticism particularly over Southgate using Alexander-Arnold in midfield. His response only further drew the ire of frustrated fans:
“We know it’s an experiment and we know that we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips.”
Southgate had taken Manchester United’s rising star Kobbie Mainoo and Crystal Palace young upstart Adam Wharton to Germany. Mainoo played his way into England’s midfield and finished the tournament as arguably one of the nation’s standout performers.
Gordon Strachan’s Scottish Genetics
Scotland Fail To Reach The 2018 World Cup
Scotland players are known for their grit and determination and are one of the most fearsome nations in international football. That mentality hasn’t resulted in major trophy success, and they have missed out on a place on the grandest stage on several occasions.
Gordon Strachan was in charge when the Tartan Army’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia in October 2017 meant they would be watching the following year’s World Cup from home. Strachan made clear his thoughts on why his country weren’t able to battle it out with the big boys of international football:
“Genetically, we are behind. In the last campaign we were the second smallest, apart from Spain. Maybe we get big women and men together and see what we can do.”
A lack of height and strength were issues Strachan felt were hampering Scotland in their quest to qualify for major competitions. To be fair to him, the Scots have yet to reach a FIFA World Cup tournament since 1998.
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