Yeghishe Melikyan and the Armenian National Team: The New Coach's Strengths and Weaknesses

On August 6, 2025, the Football Federation of Armenia officially announced the appointment of Yeghishe Melikyan as the head coach of the national team. This decision marked an important turning point in the team’s history — Melikyan is known for his distinctive working style, ability to adapt to circumstances, and talent for unlocking players’ potential. However, he also has certain weaknesses that may affect the future of the national team.

Strengths

1. Playing based on squad capabilities, not abstract ideas
   Melikyan’s key trait is his ability to get the most out of available resources. He always builds the game around the qualities of his players rather than a pre-set tactical system.
   After a UEFA Conference League match against Hungary’s Győr, he openly stated:
   “They can criticize me for not playing attacking football, but I must assess the team’s capabilities and build the game accordingly. At that moment, we were not ready to play offensively against such an opponent.”
   This approach can be particularly valuable for Armenia’s national team, where resources are limited and every piece of the puzzle must be used wisely.

2. Getting the maximum from every player
   A national team is not a club where you can simply buy the missing player. You must work with what you have, and Melikyan does this at the level of top coaches.
   Under his guidance, Luka Juricic went from an unfit striker with no match practice to a star of the Armenian league and a European competition hero, later being sold profitably to CFR Cluj.
   Yusuf Otubanjo flourished at Pyunik under his leadership, despite spending over two seasons at Ararat-Armenia without such progress.
   Artak Dashyan became a universal soldier for the team and a reliable right-back for the national side, even though he had rarely played in that position before. Artak Dashyan and Hovhannes Harutyunyan were something special at Pyunik in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. It’s safe to say that neither before nor after Pyunik did they perform as well as under Melikyan. Dashyan became the team’s problem-solver, playing every possible position except goalkeeper. It was Melikyan who turned him into a right-back, a role in which he was most valuable for Armenia.
   Edgar Malakyan revived his career twice under Melikyan — at Ukraine’s Stal and at Pyunik.
   Similar examples include Mykhailo Kovalenko, Solomon Udo, David Davidyan, Yevgeniy Kochuk, and others.

3. Focus on Armenian players
   Melikyan doesn’t just use Armenian players — he aims to develop them. Under him, players like Hovhannes Harutyunyan, David Davidyan, Henry Avagyan, Serob Grigoryan, Yuri Gareginian, Gor Malakyan, and Artur Danielyan have improved. This is especially important for the national team.

4. Experience with the national team and strong connections
   Yeghishe himself played for Armenia and understands the specifics of the national side. He is familiar with goalkeeping coach Roman Berezovsky, which could facilitate internal communication within the staff.

5. Tactical flexibility
   Melikyan is not tied to a single formation. He can change tactics several times in a match, adapting to the situation. His arsenal includes defensive setups with five defenders and ultra-attacking options with seven forwards.

6. Language factor
   Melikyan speaks both Armenian and Russian fluently, allowing direct communication with most players without the need for interpreters.

Possible Challenges

1. Working with young players
   History shows that Melikyan rarely trusts players under 23. He is better at unlocking the potential of mature players and bringing them to peak form than developing young talent. This could be an issue, as the current national team has many promising players aged 20–22.

2. Past conflict with the Federation
   During Artur Soghomonyan’s presidency at Pyunik, Melikyan sharply criticized the FFA and personally Armen Melikbekyan. Later, after the club’s leadership changed, he refrained from such statements. One can only hope that the conflict is in the past and will not affect work processes.

3. Possible conflict with national team captain Varazdat Haroyan — although Melikyan insists there was none
   “Varazdat Haroyan is one of Armenia’s best players. But he didn’t fit my style, we discussed it, and parted ways respectfully. There was no conflict,” said Melikyan after leaving Pyunik.
   It is hard to say whether Haroyan will now fit Melikyan’s playing style.

UPDATE: Varazdat Haroyan Announces Retirement from the Armenian National Team

What does this mean for the national team?

Appointing Yeghishe Melikyan is a bet on pragmatism, smart resource management, and tactical flexibility. His debut against Portugal and Ireland will be a serious test, but home matches in Yerevan could give the national team a chance for a successful start in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.