The mourning after isn\u2019t always easy, Mikel\u00a0Merino says \u2013 and yes that is mourning with a \u201cu\u201d. \u201cNo one died, it\u2019s not a mourning exactly, but at times defeats can feel like that,\u201d the Arsenal midfielder admitted and, although it wasn\u2019t actually a defeat at all, this was one of those times.<\/p>\n
A 0-0 draw against Cape Verde<\/a> in their World Cup opener was not the way Spain dreamed it; now, Merino insisted as the selecci\u00f3n returned to their Tennessee training camp six long days before they get the chance to make amends, they must\u00a0deal with it. Each in their own way, but as a family.<\/p>\n There they faced a Spanish inquisition too, which was why Merino \u2013 the only player not out on the pitch at 11am the morning after a damaging, unexpected draw in Atlanta \u2013 was the player chosen to appear in the press room. Seven long desks full of journalists faced him to go with all the noise outside. All part of the game, he called it. \u201cIf there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s not good for us, it is for there to be panic,\u201d he said. So here he was, 30 minutes of questions managed with clarity and conviction, offering insight and inspiration. Remember 2010 when Spain lost their first game<\/a> and won the World Cup? Merino does. He had just turned 14.<\/p>\n \u201cLike every game that doesn\u2019t go as you\u2019d like, every player lives with that mourning,\u201d Merino said. \u201cSome like to watch the game back straight away, some like to disconnect and think about other things instead. You have to swallow\u00a0the disappointment. We have to recover as soon as we can. Luis [de\u00a0la\u00a0Fuente] always says that it\u2019s about trying to be better tomorrow, even if you\u2019ve won. We\u2019re always self\u2011critical. Personally, I am not one to send messages [to fans]; I\u00a0think the best message is the next game, turning it\u00a0around with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet the messages were there. \u201cIt is easy to talk of \u2018family\u2019 but when things don\u2019t go well, when they are difficult, is when you truly see that \u2018family\u2019 \u2013 and I see unity, enthusiasm and a will to play well,\u201d Merino said. There was a reflection here on group dynamics: \u201cIt is important to have ego; as a footballer, with all the criticism from outside you need it to feel good on the pitch. But you also need the humility to know that this\u00a0belongs to everyone. Players come to the national team because they are important [at their clubs] and find a new reality where only a\u00a0few can play.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what the word \u2018family\u2019 is.\u00a0We have to be united, support each other in every moment. You can be annoyed, angry, but that energy has to be positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Mikel Merino faces the media in Chattanooga. Photograph: Florencia Tan Jun\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The anger can eat at players and it didn\u2019t take long for Merino\u2019s use of mourning to be picked up. \u201cMaybe I didn\u2019t express myself well,\u201d he replied but, actually, he had expressed himself very well and he would return to the same word. \u201cIt was an attempt at a metaphor, a comparison. You\u2019re so competitive that when it doesn\u2019t go well, sometimes you go home and don\u2019t even want to talk to your family. That\u2019s why I say it\u2019s like a mourning. Everyone deals with it differently. I like to face it and watch [games back] as soon as possible but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the best approach for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you want after a bad game is to play again straight away to get the bad taste out of your mouth. The risk [of the expanded World Cup] is you have lots of time to go over it; it\u2019s a mental challenge to deal with that, evade all that and be as free as you can mentally.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is not so easy when it is all played out in public. \u201cThat\u2019s a reality; it\u2019s part of the business, the reason we earn what we earn, why football is so big, so important: because you\u2019re here to cover it, to create stories through which we explain things to fans,\u201d Merino said, looking across the room. \u201cThere are players who like it more, or like it less, but it\u2019s part of the \u2018circus\u2019 and we have to accept it and live with it.<\/p>\n Mikel Merino profile<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone handles these moments their own personal way. I\u2019m one of those that finds it hard to swallow a bad result but with time I\u2019ve realised that it is best to [confront it] and start trying to turn it around as soon as possible. Four,\u00a0five hours and you realise that this [World Cup] has just started, that there is time to fix it. Then you can focus on the group, on what helps them. Put a hand on the shoulder of whoever is hurt because they didn\u2019t play, or missed a chance. Or know who needs space\u00a0for that mourning.\u201d<\/p>\n Merino admitted that there was relief in seeing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay drawing<\/a>, leaving him with the feeling that they \u201cstart over\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to see the positive side,\u201d he said. \u201cThe last world champion started by losing to Saudi Arabia<\/a>. In 2010 Spain lost the first game and there was lots of criticism and they turned it around; that is an example to follow from people who were idols. I often take inspiration from\u00a0athletes who have lived my dreams before I did. That generation means so much for this one: we want to emulate them.\u201d<\/p>\n