Merino strikes again: Spain reach the semi-finals — and England should be worried

Spain are in the World Cup semi-finals, and once again it was Mikel Merino — not Lamine Yamal — who got them there. The Arsenal midfielder came off the bench for the second successive game to score the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Belgium. It is only the second time Spain have reached the last four; the first, in 2010, ended with them lifting the trophy. For England, the most alarming detail is not the result. It is that Spain are winning while their best player has barely got going.

Merino is the tournament’s most effective substitute

Mikel Merino scored the goal that beat Belgium after coming off the bench, exactly as he had done in the previous round. Two appearances from the bench, two decisive goals. The 49-cap Arsenal midfielder is not the most glamorous name in the Spain squad, but he is the one deciding knockout ties.

The tactical problem he creates is genuine. You can build a plan to stop Lamine Yamal or Pedri — both have been studied to death. It is far harder to plan for a tall, late-arriving midfielder who enters on 65 minutes against tired legs and attacks the box on second balls, precisely where deep blocks start to crack.

Lamine Yamal is still waiting for his moment

Lamine Yamal has yet to produce the performance that turns this World Cup into his own. The Barcelona winger is being doubled and sometimes tripled up on, and Spain have learned to win without needing his brilliance. That is the genuinely frightening part: they have a working plan B and a superstar who has not exploded yet.

For an England back line, the maths are unforgiving. Stopping Yamal costs resources — a full-back glued to him, a midfielder covering behind — and that is exactly the channel Spain’s midfielders run into. Shut down one threat and you open the door to the other.

What this means for England’s route

Spain are the reigning European champions and have now won two knockout ties without hitting top form. Thomas Tuchel’s England will know that record matters more than any single scoreline: tournament winners are the teams that find a way through on bad days, and Spain have found a way twice.

England’s own strength has been squad depth, and that is now the exact battleground. Any meeting with Spain would be decided as much by who each manager can bring on after the hour mark as by the starting eleven either side names.

The 2026 World Cup rewards benches, not XIs

With five substitutions permitted and a compressed schedule across a 48-team tournament, the team with the better players between the 60th and 90th minute holds a real, repeatable advantage. Spain have now cashed that advantage in two matches in a row.

That is the lesson England should take from Los Angeles. Preparing for Spain’s starting eleven will not be enough. You need a plan for their bench — and you need players of your own capable of changing a knockout tie from the touchline.

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