Mikel Merino Urges Spain to Reset After 0-0 Cape Verde Draw — Zinedine Zidane
Mikel Merino said Spain need to recover quickly after zinedine zidane was not the story of the day at all — the story was Spain's 0-0 draw with Cape Verde at the World Cup. The Arsenal midfielder spoke the day after the result at Spain's camp base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the team trained again before its next group match.
Merino's reset message
Merino framed the response around how players handle disappointment, saying, "Comme à chaque fois que les choses ne se passent pas comme on aimerait, chaque joueur a sa manière de faire face au deuil." He added: "Il y en a qui aiment revoir les images tout de suite, d'autres qui préfèrent déconnecter et penser à autre chose."
He said he prefers to go back through matches straight away. "À titre personnel, je préfère revoir les matches directement, ressortir ce qu'on a fait de bien, de mal et m'en servir," he said. That approach matches what Spain needs now: a quick review of a flat start and a faster move to the next game.
Chattanooga after the draw
Spain's training session in Chattanooga came after a scoreless opener that left the team with one point and no margin for error in the group. Merino called it "C'était le moment de digérer un peu notre déception de ne pas avoir pris les trois points."
His message was not to chase only the negative. He said Spain should focus on the positive while still criticizing itself, and pointed to the last world champion for context: "Le dernier champion du monde a commencé en perdant contre l'Arabie saoudite (Argentine en 2022)."
That comparison landed against a Spanish side that has won only one of its last seven World Cup matches, even if it has had success in the Nations League and at the Euro. For a team that opened with a draw, the numbers put extra weight on what comes next, not on what Spain has already done in other competitions.
Saudi Arabia on 21 June
Merino's answer on whether the World Cup hangs over Spain was blunt: "Je ne sais que vous dire." The schedule now brings Saudi Arabia on 21 June, and Spain arrive there needing a sharper response than the one they showed against Cape Verde.
