Yeghishe Melikyan on Adoryan, Ranos, 14 injuries, and Armenia's goals in the Nations League

Armenia head coach Yeghishe Melikyan has summed up the September-October stretch of the UEFA Nations League, speaking about the national team’s personnel situation, a possible call-up for Tomas Adoryan, the return of Grant-Leon Ranos, and the team’s goals for the November matches.

Speaking on Armenia’s Public TV (H1), Melikyan also explained the situation involving Jordi Ararat, revealed why Artur Miranyan had to be called up, and stressed that he continues to believe in the path chosen by the coaching staff.

Melikyan: “We are following Tomas Adoryan”

One of the main topics was Armenian midfielder Tomas Adoryan, who plays for Argentine club Banfield.

Melikyan confirmed that the national team’s coaching staff is monitoring the player and has seen his recent goals and attacking contributions.

“Yes, we are following him and we have seen his goals. Initially, we decided that Narek Hovhannisyan and Zhirayr Shaghoyan would play on the right wing, so we did not call up Adoryan.”

At the same time, the head coach admitted that he was unhappy with Zhirayr Shaghoyan’s recent performances.

“At the moment, I am not satisfied with Shaghoyan’s performances and I will be watching how he works on his mistakes. If I do not see changes in Shaghoyan’s game, we will call up Adoryan.”

This means Tomas Adoryan could get his chance with the Armenia national team as early as one of the next international camps.

Jordi Ararat wanted to join the Armenia national team

Melikyan also spoke about the situation involving Jordi Ararat.

According to the coach, the player was very eager to join the Armenian national team, but his club did not release him for international duty.

As a result, the coaching staff was unable to count on Ararat during the latest international window.

Melikyan is waiting for Grant-Leon Ranos to return

The head coach also spoke separately about Grant-Leon Ranos, who was unable to help Armenia because of injury.

Melikyan stressed that he is very much looking forward to the striker’s return to the national team.

The coaching staff had originally planned to use three forwards during these matches — Grant-Leon Ranos, Finn Geragusyan and Artur Garibyan.

However, the large number of injuries significantly changed Armenia’s plans.

Ranos recovered during the international window and went on to score in his debut match for Tenerife.

Why Miranyan played in every match

Melikyan admitted that he had initially not planned to call up Artur Miranyan at all because the striker was not in optimal condition.

However, after losing other forwards, the coach did not see a suitable alternative among players in the Armenian league.

The situation was further complicated by Artur Garibyan’s condition: on the recommendation of the doctors, the player was unable to spend more than 30 minutes on the pitch.

As a result, Miranyan had to take on a heavy workload and feature in every match.

Melikyan also took responsibility for the striker’s unsuccessful performances, noting that even before calling him up he understood the condition the player was in.

“A knockdown against Montenegro and a knockout against Cyprus”

Speaking about Armenia’s performances in the first four Nations League matches, Melikyan used a boxing analogy.

According to the coach, the home match against Montenegro was something of a knockdown for the team. Armenia were close to earning a draw but conceded a decisive late goal and lost 3-2.

Melikyan compared the following match against Cyprus to a knockout, as Armenia made two major mistakes that had a serious impact on the result.

Despite that setback, the team managed to recover psychologically and ended the international window with a solid performance in Podgorica, drawing 0-0 with Montenegro.

For Melikyan, that match was an important demonstration of the team’s character after a series of setbacks, injuries and personnel losses.

Armenia aiming for two wins in November

After four rounds, Armenia have 4 points and sit third in Nations League Group C2.

Montenegro lead the group with 10 points, while Cyprus are second with 7.

However, Melikyan believes the battle is not over yet.

Armenia will play their final group-stage matches in November, and the head coach is targeting two victories.

The national team’s goal is to collect the maximum number of points and compete for second place in Group C2.

The 14 injured players remain part of the national team

One of Armenia’s biggest problems during the latest international window was the large number of injuries.

Melikyan stressed that all 14 players who were absent because of injuries or insufficient fitness continue to be considered part of the national team.

The head coach went into detail about how seriously those absences affected Armenia’s options and expressed complete confidence that the team would have been significantly stronger with those players available.

According to Melikyan, Henri Avagyan could have replaced Ognen Cancarevic after his injury, while Kamo Hovhannisyan, if fully fit, would almost certainly have been competing for a place in the starting lineup.

The coach also noted that David Davidyan could have been another option in that position, but he too was unavailable because of health problems.

In central defence, Armenia lost several important players at the same time.

“Styopa Mkrtchyan, Sergey Muradyan, Julio Bueno — they are all first-team defenders.”

Melikyan also said that Edgar Grigoryan could have helped the coaching staff manage the workload on the left side of defence and allowed Nair Tiknizyan to rest for at least one match.

The coach separately mentioned Hovhannes Harutyunyan. In his opinion, the midfielder could have replaced Eduard Spertsyan for 20–30 minutes at a time, allowing the Armenia captain to get additional rest.

Melikyan believes that with such workload management, Spertsyan might not have gone into the final match carrying an injury.

The personnel losses in attack were no less serious.

According to the coach, Vahan Bichakhchyan would definitely have received playing time, while Grant-Leon Ranos and Finn Geragusyan were originally viewed as the main rotation options at centre-forward.

However, the coaching staff lost both forwards either before the beginning of the international window or during it.

In addition, Artem Bandikyan and Artur Garibyan picked up injuries during the cycle itself, further limiting the team’s rotation options.

Melikyan stressed that all of these players remain part of the national team and, once recovered, will again be considered for future call-ups.

Melikyan: “I will not leave until I build the team of my dreams”

Speaking about his own future, Yeghishe Melikyan made it clear that he intends to continue working with the Armenia national team.

The head coach stressed that he believes in the chosen direction and feels that the team is gradually moving towards the model the coaching staff wants to see.

Melikyan said that he does not intend to leave the national team until he builds the team of his dreams.

After a difficult stretch in the Nations League, the coaching staff hope that some of the injured players will return by the November matches and that Armenia will be able to finish the group stage fighting for second place.