Mikel Merino was keen to point out the treatment Lamine Yamal has received ahead of the World Cup final.
Spain have put in an exceptionally professional job en route to the final against Argentina, but there was one hiccup.
Against Uruguay they were drawn into the trenches, and it highlighted a potential weakness.
The South American team had some success in roughing up the 2010 champions, and the same is likely from their neighbours Argentina.
Merino gives his thoughts on World Cup final refereeing
As such, Arsenal’s Merino was keen to make his voice heard in the build up.
“I think it will be an intense match,” he said.
“It’s a final, both teams are playing for the greatest thing in football.
“It’s normal to have contact, intense duels, because when there’s so much at stake, that’s how you have to play.”
He then seemed to put some pressure on final referee Slavko Vinčić, with Spain feeling like Lamine has been unfairly targeted.
Merino continued: “We all know that Lamine is an impressive player, and our style of play, trying to combine and move the ball quickly, might need that fluidity to be effective.
“We are convinced that the less time the ball remains at each of our feet, the less time the opponent will have to commit fouls.
“The most important thing is that the referee does his job properly.”
Lamine Yamal injury update
Lamine was seen hobbling off during the masterclass 2-0 semi-final win over France, but is expected to be fit for the final.
He and Pedro Porro both picked up issues, and trained separately yesterday, but the Spanish media report they’re likely to start.
Merino isn’t the first to put pressure on Argentina’s gameplan, with Egypt saying their quarter-final defeat was ‘fixed’.
Their players were bombarded with questions about the headline comments from coach Hossam Hassan, and defender Lisandro Martinez even walked out of an interview in response.
“Nothing to say. The referees are doing an excellent job,” he said.
“You are the ones who generate the controversies. We focus on giving our best on the field…”
Coach Lionel Scaloni faced similar questions.
He responded: “There are always criticisms, and I’m not just talking about Argentina.
“We can use this to show the players that some people don’t want Argentina to win. That’s normal. We can use it to make the players better.
“But fundamentally, there’s no favouritism; nowadays, with VAR, it seems very difficult to prove.”
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