Spain manager Luis de la Fuente admits he has one problem with Arsenal duo

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The Spain national team are sending a message to the world with their unbeaten World Cup Qualification record.

Spain haven’t lost yet in the World Cup Qualifiers, and also haven’t drawn, maintaining a 100% win rate.

Three of the Arsenal players on international duty are a part of Luis de la Fuente’s side, with David Raya, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino having a role to play.

While Raya is hoping to leapfrog Unai Simon as Spain’s number one, the two Arsenal midfielders are favourites of De La Fuente, but the manager does have one problem.

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Spain manager Luis de la Fuente says Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi are underrated

It’s no surprise that Merino and Zubimendi are starters for Spain, piecing together the perfect midfield trio alongside Pedri.

That being said, after Spain’s 2-0 win over Georgia, De La Fuente didn’t hold back when sharing one problem he has with the two Arsenal players.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Spanish manager complained that Merino and Zubimendi are two of the most underrated players in his squad. 

When asked about Mikel Oyarzabal’s lack of recognition, De La Fuente threw Merino and Zubimendi into the conversation.

“I think he [Oyarzabal] doesn’t get the recognition he should, the same goes for Zubimendi, Fabian, Cucurella, Le Normand, Merino,” he said.

“They’re exceptional, but sometimes the media coverage of others overshadows them a bit.”

It wasn’t a surprise to hear the coach speak so passionately about his players, as during the previous international break, De La Fuente stressed how underrated Merino was. 

Arsenal won’t mind how underrated Merino and Zubimendi are

The media in Spain are very passionate about Arsenal’s two midfield generals, so much so that there was a complaint that Merino wasn’t honoured at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

While at international level, De La Fuente can’t work out how the two players are so underrated, back in the Premier League, the pair collect worthy praise.

Just before the October break, Martin Keown described Zubimendi as the biggest impact-maker in Europe after his summer transfer to Arsenal.

It’s clear that the two midfielders are right where they need to be, both at Arsenal and in Spain’s starting XI, in what could be a memorable campaign for the duo.

Who knows, Zubimendi and Merino could spend the summer of 2026 celebrating winning big with Arsenal and then, challenging for the biggest prize of them all with Spain.