Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 30
Kansas City/Atlanta
Espanyol played a game in their training camp where one of Luis de la Fuente’s 26 players was shown three club crests and had to name the player who passed between them. A test of knowledge and speed. Mikel Merino did it calmly but quickly. Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid flashed, and Mikel Merino immediately answered “Mbappe”. Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami all brought the agile “Messi”. Leicester City, Tottenham and Bayern have all brought “Harry Kane”. Merino didn’t even break the pace of Rennes and PSG – “Doue”.
Seeing footage of Merino smiling and enjoying life, back playing again and representing Spain with the late champions, is one of the most inspiring stories from the World Cup.
Not many players are as popular as Merino at Arsenal. Fans love his influence. They like him willing to play any position for the team (he grew up as a goalkeeper), especially his contribution in attack as Arsenal’s emergency forward in the 2024-25 season. The arrival of Victor Jacques reduced the need for Merino in attack and the midfield consisted of Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi before Merino suffered a broken foot in January. Some are even worried about his future.
Now look at Merino, who finished the season as a title-winner at Arsenal and helped Spain reach the semi-finals of his first World Cup at the age of 30. He probably won’t start against France but will certainly feature at some point; Merino is a devastating weapon deployed off the bench. He reads the game and therefore knows how and where to make the most immediate impact.
But what is his sweet spot? Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente first met Merino when he coached the U-19 team to the European Championship in 2015 (Unai Simon and Rodri were also present). Yesterday, he described Merino as “a great, brilliant, outstanding player… world-class in his position”. But which position? He can play No. 6, No. 8 and No. 9.
Merino wool is also interesting. He occasionally celebrates goals by running around the corner flag like his father Angel Merino did when he scored for Osasuna in the 1991 UEFA Cup with Stuttgart. Merino did it for the first time in the same stadium at the European Cup. His run towards the corner flag was interrupted by team-mates and substitutes lunging at him. Apparently very popular.
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Each game has an England theme. Aztec? high. Miami? Haaland. Atlanta? Messi. inevitable. The concern is that they will focus too much on Argentina’s number 10 and not so much on the other 10 players. Enzo Fernandez, a rejuvenated Alexis McAllister and Lautaro Martinez coming off the bench all posed threats. Jordan Pickford knows this. “We all know how good Messi is, but we also know how good Argentina are and what a hard-working team they are. We have to focus on other strengths as well. Everyone will talk about Messi because he is one of the GOATs of the game. But we can’t just talk about Messi either. They are a good team and defending champions.” Messi is the most threatening, but supporting actors can also play the starring role occasionally.
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The debate continues over how to take the U.S. national team to the next level. I spoke with a 67-year-old local Missouri man who said he got into soccer when his daughters, now in their 30s, played. He coached softball and the school asked him to help with football. That was more than 20 years ago, but he said all he had to do was take a two-hour class to learn the basic exercises and then let the girls get on with it. Everything improved with more expert guidance and a three-on-three shift. This helped create a generation of outstanding female footballers who dominated the world. Men seem far away from this. It’s about player development, finding hungry players who may not be able to afford coaches and club memberships.
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Many ways have been suggested to help England beat Argentina. Atletico Madrid right-back Nahuel Molina, 28, and Lyon left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, 33, must be targets for Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka. Release the rhythm. Thomas Tuchel’s penchant for short-short-short possession and the subsequent conversion of Elliot Anderson (often rightly so) could pay dividends. But any such move would have to be transitioned quickly before Argentina can regroup.
Catch up on the rest of Henry Winter’s World Cup diary here