Klose praised Armenian defender Styopa Mkrtchyan’s performances at Nürnberg

The head coach of the German club Nürnberg, Miroslav Klose, commented on the performances of Armenian defender Styopa Mkrtchyan after his move to the team this winter.

The 23-year-old footballer joined the Second Bundesliga club from Croatian side Osijek and has already played three matches under the guidance of the legendary German striker.

After the transfer, Mkrtchyan immediately entered the starting lineup due to an injury to the team captain and main central defender Fabio Gruber. Later, the Armenian player spent several matches on the bench but received another opportunity in the 25th round, coming on as a substitute in the 7th minute for the injured Gruber.

In the following round, which took place on March 14, the defender again started on the bench and entered the field in the 79th minute.

In all these episodes, Mkrtchyan played as a right center-back, although his natural position is left center-back. Currently, that role at Nürnberg is occupied by Georgian international Luka Lochoshvili.

Klose spoke positively about the Armenian player’s qualities and highlighted his potential.

“I think he is really a good footballer. We will see how we can secure a place for him in the squad so that he gets enough playing time. In this position we also have other good players — Luka Lochoshvili and Fabio Gruber. In any case, having Styopa in our team is a great value; he has an amazing left foot. We are very happy that he is with us,” Klose said in an interview with Azatutyun TV.

According to the coach, Mkrtchyan’s main advantage is his ability to start attacks thanks to accurate passing.

“His main strength is his excellent left foot. He is very good at initiating attacks with different types of passes. With us he can play both as a left and right center-back. But he still needs to work on his right foot. If he also improves in duels, he will win the ball even more often. In any case, he is very difficult to play against,” the specialist noted.

Klose emphasized that the Armenian defender has all the qualities needed to establish himself in the team.

“I believe he has everything required to play for us. He can find the best solutions on the pitch when building attacks with passes. We need to work on his technique and make him more confident with his right foot, but I am sure that will come,” the Nürnberg head coach added.

Before the upcoming Armenia national team matches against the UAE (March 26) and Belarus (March 29), Mkrtchyan will play one more match for his club. On March 21, Nürnberg will face Kaiserslautern.