Melikyan: “We are on the right path, but we lacked finishing against Belarus”

The Armenia national team lost to Belarus (1–2) in a friendly match held on March 29 in Yerevan. After the game, Armenia head coach Yeghishe Melikyan summed up the match, evaluated the newcomers, explained his lineup experiments, and spoke about finishing issues and Eduard Spertsyan’s importance to the team.

Post-match press conference of Yeghishe Melikyan

— Today you tried a new formation. Why did you decide to do that and what is your assessment of the game?

— Overall, the game plan worked. We knew the opponent’s strengths, so they didn’t surprise us. In many situations, we came out on top. It’s very disappointing that in the two goal situations our players lost their duels and didn’t show the necessary character. We lost exactly in those moments. The system worked, we played well defensively. In attack, we also created chances as planned. But Spertsyan’s absence was noticeable — there were clear issues with quality. 10 out of 12 shots went over the bar — that’s a player quality issue. Overall, I thank the players for their dedication, but I apologize to the fans for not winning. I will say that we are on the right path. The most important thing is that the players have fire in their eyes and a strong desire to play for the country. There were many changes, many new players, many debutants. It takes time for everything to work and for players to adapt to top-level football. I am positive about the future.

— There were many newcomers in the match. Who impressed you the most and who will get chances in important matches?

— It’s too early to say who I see in official matches. We will continue experimenting. But I can say that everyone who played today has a chance — no one failed so far.

— What can you say about the central defenders?

— Yes, I’m satisfied with everyone, I saw many good moments, but those two goals were abnormal — we need to analyze them. I’m not happy with those moments. Georgiy Harutyunyan played in midfield as a number six and did everything he could. I’m satisfied with him.

— You mentioned problems with quality and finishing. Do you have a solution?

— The only absence in attack was Spertsyan. We have what we have. There are players who still need time — Narek Hovhannisyan, Finn Geraghusyan. We need to wait and see what they can achieve. Today we clearly lacked finishing.

— Georgiy Harutyunyan played in midfield today. Do you plan to keep using him there?

— For me, he is primarily a central defender. We will analyze further. If there are problems in midfield, injuries, etc., I won’t be afraid to use him there again. But first and foremost, he is a defender. Overall, there were many experiments in this match. It’s a pity there wasn’t a second friendly — we still had a lot to test. It’s also unfortunate that we lost; this was not a game we deserved to lose. In any case, trust us — everything will be fine in the upcoming matches.

— What percentage of their potential did the team show today?

— This team needs time, and then we can expect more. It’s a new team. Today they showed everything they are capable of, but there is room for growth.

— What is Spertsyan’s current condition?

— The MRI showed that the injury is not serious; in 1–2 weeks he will be ready to play. We simply didn’t want to take risks in a friendly. He really wanted to play, but we didn’t allow it. He is very important for us.

— If Spertsyan cannot play in official matches, how will you replace him?

— I plan to go to Africa in April to look for players (laughs). This is a national team, not a club. We have what we have. I can’t buy players. God forbid we lose Spertsyan. Ivu has already been out for a long time. These are big losses. We don’t have an equal replacement. We hope Spertsyan will play in official matches and help us.

— What positives did you see in this match?

— There were many positives for a new team. We created many scoring chances. I can say Belarus was lucky to win this game. Of course, I congratulate them, but we were more dangerous in attack.