Mikel Merino said World Cup favourites Spain are “dealing with the mourning” after their shock draw with underdogs Cape Verde in their opening game.
World Cup debutants Cape Verde held Spain’s stars to a goalless draw in Atlanta — with goalkeeper Vozinha named MVP, and Lamine Yamal only fit to feature as a substitute — before Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also drew, to leave Group H wide open.
Spain are now back at their training camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, preparing for their next, now crucial match against the Saudis on Sunday.
“Each player has his way of dealing with the mourning,” Merino told journalists in a half-hour news conference on Tuesday. “Some like to watch the video back straight away. Others like to disconnect. It’s a moment to swallow the disappointment of not getting the three points. We’re already thinking about what we have to improve.”
Merino was asked to clarify his use of the world “mourning,” which suggested the squad were struggling to deal with the result.
“Perhaps I didn’t express myself well, it was an attempt at a metaphor, a comparison,” he said. “Nobody has died. It isn’t mourning as such. But sometimes defeats feel like that. When you’re so competitive, you want to be at your best. When you don’t achieve it, you get home and you don’t even want to speak to your family. That’s why it’s a bit like mourning.”
Merino pointed to the example of defending champions Argentina, who began the 2022 World Cup with a loss to Saudi Arabia before going on to lift the trophy in Qatar.
“A lot of great stories have started with games that weren’t so good,” Merino said. “Like the last world champions, who started by losing to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and ended up winning it… It’s early, we have room for improvement.”
The Arsenal midfielder also mentioned Spain’s 2010 World Cup winners, who lost their opening game to Switzerland.
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“That 2010 golden generation lost the first game, had difficult moments, and they got a lot of criticism,” Merino said. “Then they turned it around. They’re a good example to follow, they can be an inspiration.”
Spain now have five days to prepare for the Saudi Arabia game, and for recovering players such as Yamal and Nico Williams to get closer to full match fitness.
“After you haven’t won, the first thing you want to do is play again, to lose the bad taste in your mouth,” Merino said. “We have a lot of time to think about it now, so it’s a mental challenge.
“Lamine looks fine, I was just with him and he was joking as usual. He hasn’t lost that energy which characterises him. The [youngsters] give us that energy, that spark, and we [veterans] give them the calm you need sometimes. That’s what I like about this squad, it’s well-balanced.”
