Martin Zubimendi is "surprised" by critics suggesting Spain's midfielders cannot play at a high tempo, as they look to get their World Cup campaign back on track.

Spain were held to a surprising 0-0 draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde in their opening Group H match, meaning they must beat Saudi Arabia on Sunday to be in full control of the group going into the final matchday. 

La Roja had 27 shots against Cape Verde without finding the net, their joint-most on record without scoring in a World Cup match (since 1966, also 27 versus Paraguay in 1998).

They have now had 49 shots and completed exactly 2,500 passes since they last scored a World Cup goal, netting in the 11th minute of a 2-1 loss to Japan in 2022.

In the aftermath of Monday's draw, Luis de la Fuente's side (11.7%) were replaced by France (15.4%) as the Opta supercomputer's favourites to lift the trophy, and their technical midfield trio of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Pedri were heavily criticised in the Spanish media. 

So far at the 2026 World Cup, only Portugal have averaged more passes per sequence (6.47) or a longer sequence time (17.8 seconds) than Spain (5.84, 16.6 seconds).

They have moved the ball upfield at a direct speed of 1.66 metres per second, with 27 of the 48 teams at the tournament moving the ball vertically at a quicker speed.

But Arsenal's Zubimendi believes any assertion that Spain play too slowly is wide of the mark, telling reporters: "I am surprised by that debate.

"Spain's midfield is not something that slows down the game. We have players with mobility and the ability to play with one or two touches.

"If we had scored one or two goals, the game would have changed. It was a matter of finesse, not physicality. 

"The next day was not easy, because we were annoyed that we did not win, but our confidence has not dropped. We have come a long way together.

"It wasn't a brilliant game, but it wasn't that bad either. There are things that can be rescued and we will have to put more fluidity and freshness into it.

"We were sad for the first 24 hours, but we've turned it around. Now we want to compete again."

Zubimendi had a busy club campaign in 2025-26 as Arsenal won the Premier League title and finished as Champions League runners-up, losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in last month's final.

Since the end of last year's Club World Cup, Zubimendi's 57 appearances in all competitions are the joint-most of any player in Europe's top five leagues (level with Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes), while he started 48 matches and totalled 4,298 minutes.

Spain boss De la Fuente recently suggested Zubimendi could follow in Rodri's footsteps by winning the Ballon d'Or, and he is keen to repay his coach's faith. 

"I've got a long way to go! But it shows the faith he has in me. He knew me well at youth level. That's the message I get from him, and I'm happy," the midfielder said. 

"It's been a tough year. I've played a lot of games. At one point I felt fatigued, but right now, being here with the national team, I'm fine."

Spain will hope to avoid failing to score in three consecutive World Cup games for the very first time on Sunday, with Atlanta the venue for their meeting with Saudi Arabia.