Spain team midfielder Martin Zvimendi believes that one of the national team’s strengths is its “blocking”, allowing the players who have been together for several years to be “stronger than other teams”, and not worrying about the fact that they are or are not the best team in the world, and are focused on “day-to-day” and qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
“One of our strengths is our united block. We have been together for several years and that is what makes us play in the best way and stronger than other teams,” the Arsenal footballer declared this Friday at a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Georgia.
Along these lines, San Sebastian’s players avoided discussions about whether they were the best team in the world and focused on qualifying. “This competition showed that even if you do everything perfectly, you can sacrifice results and good performances until the final match. For now, I imagine we have qualified,” he explained.
“The World Cup is a trophy that identifies you as the best team in the world. I think these speculations are part of football, but beyond that, you have to first qualify us and then when the push comes to shove, be very precise about the details at the World Cup,” he added in this regard.
Asked about teammate Mikel Merino’s goalscoring numbers, the Real Sociedad youth player said he was surprised as it was “unbelievable”, but said he knew this improvement had been a “long-term wish”. “We joked about it, but it’s clear he took it seriously and has grown a lot. It’s not luck. He’s trained him. I know he’s been behind that for a long time,” he said.
Coach Zvimendi explained that players such as Georgia Mikautadze, Kvitya Kvaratskhelia and Giorgi Mamadashvili will have to be looked out for this Saturday, but that Georgia is more than just a name. “Aside from them, I think there were also games where they as a team made things very difficult for us. So I think they rely on the whole team as well,” he commented.
“They have a very clear mentality of playing immediately after losing. There were some situations in the last game that we were not completely in control of and that could have cost us. For us, we have to be very right in that respect,” he added of French coach Willy Sagnol’s team.
Finally, the Spaniard declined to comment on the controversy that currently exists regarding the number of matches being played. “I don’t listen to what they are saying outside at all. There are a lot of matches, but wasting time on these things gets tiring. I prefer to keep playing and I want to keep playing as long as I can,” he concluded.
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