Yeghishe Melikyan ahead of the Armenia vs. Latvia match: "We have found the key to victory and want to win the group"
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
Armenia will begin its 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign on September 25 with a home match against Latvia. The team has suffered injuries and personnel losses ahead of the tournament and faces four matches in a short period. Nevertheless, head coach Yeghishe Melikyan says he has found a solution for the opening game and is aiming for victory.
At the pre-match press conference, Melikyan discussed his squad selection and plans for the demanding schedule, explained the situation with Hovhannes Hambardzumyan, and spoke about players who were eligible to represent Armenia but chose otherwise. Here is the full question-and-answer session.
Yeghishe Melikyan’s press conference ahead of the Latvia match
— The team goes into these matches with significant personnel losses. It also has to play four games in succession instead of two. How will you deal with this throughout the international window?
— I no longer want to talk about injuries, absences and problems. Right now, I am fully focused on tomorrow’s match. We want to win. I can only speak about the players who are with the team. The atmosphere is excellent. When I look at the players and see their attitude, it inspires me. I am sure that tomorrow you will see a determined team that wants nothing but victory. We are fully ready for the match.
I also ask all the fans to come to the game. We really want to see a full stadium — it would help us enormously. When I spoke about problems, I did not want my words to give rise to rumours. I simply want us all to work together to help the national team win and overcome difficulties.
— What can you say about two players who were not called up but have been performing well in the Armenian league: Levon Vardanyan of Sardarapat and Gevorg Tarakhchyan of Pyunik?
— I attend almost every league match. I know these players and have watched them play. I have called up Tarakhchyan before, and he is on our extended list. I would not rule out calling him up now if we suffer further losses. That is entirely possible. He deserves to play for the national team.
We are following Levon Vardanyan too. For now, I think it is too early to call him up, but we will see. He is having a good season, and if he continues to improve, he could receive a call-up.
— The team has suffered more losses, particularly at right-back: Kamo Hovhannisyan and David Davidyan are unavailable, while Hovhannes Hambardzumyan has retired from international football. It seems he could have filled that position. Have you spoken to him?
— There is also Jordi Monroy of Ararat. We invited him, but he was unable to come because of some difficulties. I spoke to Hambardzumyan: I invited him and explained that we needed him and that he could help the team. But he decided to retire from international football. The reasons he gave me were not satisfactory. That was the end of our conversation.
— Julio Bueno sometimes plays at right-back for Ararat-Armenia. Are you planning to use him there?
— Bueno will play tomorrow, but definitely not at right-back. We have problems beyond that flank. Bueno will help solve one of them, while the right-back issue remains. We have already decided how to deal with it, though.
Above all, I do not want you to get the impression that we are thinking only about problems. We are solving them, and we know how to do that. I have found the key, and I am confident in my decision.
— What is your goal for the national team in the 2026/27 Nations League?
— We need wins. We want to win the group. You will see that attitude on the pitch. Nobody knows in advance how things will turn out, but we are aiming to win. We want to win every match this autumn, and that is all we are thinking about.
— With these absences and such a tight schedule, some coaches sacrifice one match and field a reserve side. Do you have a similar plan? Clearly, not all the key players will be able to play four games in a row.
— We have a plan for all four matches. When I spoke about injuries earlier, part of what I meant was that we now have fewer options for rotation. We have a competitive squad, and tomorrow the players who take the field will be capable of winning. But four matches require a wider pool of players — that is the problem. We have worked on it and will address it.
— You previously said you wanted to bring younger players into the squad, which was why you did not call up Hambardzumyan. Could that have influenced his decision to retire from international football? Do you still stand by what you said then?
— That is a good question. I told Hovhannes myself that I wanted to bring younger players into the team. But I also promised to invite him back for a farewell match. He is 35. I spoke about age with Čančarević too, and with Karen Muradyan in the summer.
That is why I talk about character. I did not call up Muradyan after the Portugal match, but I have called him up now — and he came with great enthusiasm. Čančarević came too, because he is a professional. A coach may think one thing is right today and change his mind tomorrow. Look at football around the world: even the most famous coach can say something about a player and then reassess him a year later.
Time has shown that we do not yet have enough young players to rely on them completely. I can see how the experienced players are performing and what shape they are in, and I believe they still deserve to represent the national team. That is why I invited them. Every player responds to such decisions differently.
I am very glad we have players like Muradyan and Čančarević. I can say the same about Karen Nalbandyan. I gave him one match, was very unhappy with his performance and did not call him up again for a while. Now I have invited him back: he is training excellently and showing what he can do. That says a lot about his character, and I need players like that. I really like the current group: the players take their work seriously and approach it the right way.
— You say you will win and move forward. What if the team loses?
— This is football. Nobody can be 100 percent certain of victory. But we believe in ourselves and want to win. If we do not, we are professionals: we will not give up, and we will start preparing for the next match. Right now, we are not thinking about defeat.
— You said you had found the key to solving the problems. What is it?
— My job is to draw up a match plan with the players available to us and choose a formation. In theory, I believe I have found the right solution. The match will show how well it works in practice. But I am confident in this plan, and that makes me happy. At the same time, nobody can promise victory with 100 percent certainty.
— What can you say about Latvia? You have hardly spoken about the opposition so far.
— We have been talking about Latvia this whole time. By studying their play, we have found the key to winning.
— When you took charge of the national team, you asked for time to build your own side. Have you managed to do that?
— Yes, I now have the team I wanted to see. When I arrived, there were problems with the players’ attitude, the atmosphere and their fighting spirit. I am now confident that we have solved them. There is commitment to the national team and the country, discipline and mutual respect.
To win, we also need quality on the pitch. We will see during the match how well we can compensate for the players missing through injury. But I have found a solution to that for tomorrow’s game as well.
— What do you ask of players who have had little playing time at their clubs recently? Will their roles in the national team change?
— I am not going to explain exactly what we intend to do, because I do not want the opposition to know. In general, if we see that a player is struggling because of a lack of match practice, we will make substitutions. We can now make five, so we can manage that.
— Latvia have problems too, and the local media are unhappy with the national team’s results after a long spell without a win. Their head coach said it is time to improve that record and that he knows how to beat Armenia. What do you make of that?
— That is normal. A head coach should speak that way about his team, especially if it has not won for a long time. I feel the same way: it is time for us to win too. A victory would help us a great deal.
— You have spoken about winning a lot today. But Armenia have conceded in every match for four years. Would it be better to take smaller steps — keep a clean sheet first, then think about winning? Does the demand for victory put extra pressure on the team?
— I do not understand why one should contradict the other. I am the head coach, and I prepare the team to win. Of course, to win, you also have to defend well — it is all connected. I am not going to set out our entire game plan here, from the goalkeeper to the striker. That is precisely where the key to victory lies.
— You spoke about players who did not want to represent Armenia. Latvia have called up Albert Aleksanyan, who could also have played for our team. Did you try to invite him? There were also reports that Aleksandr Kovalenko could have played for Armenia but declined. What can you say about those players?
— I spoke to Kovalenko personally. He declined to play for Armenia. I think he hopes to make the Russia national team. That is his personal decision, and I see no problem with it.
We knew about Aleksanyan, watched his matches and spoke with his representatives, although I did not speak to the player personally. I conveyed that, after these Nations League matches, I would have an opportunity to meet him and watch him play myself, and that I wanted to invite him to the national team in the spring. But he decided to represent Latvia.
— How do you assess your own work with the national team over this calendar year?
— The fans should assess my work. The Nations League is only just beginning — let us see the results. As for the friendlies, I was constantly experimenting in those matches. Last autumn, when I had only just started the job, we were at the beginning of the process too. Now we will be able to see what has come of it all.
At the end of the press conference, Melikyan again addressed the fans:
— I want to urge the fans to come to the stadium and support the national team as strongly as they can. We have newcomers who will be in the starting lineup for the first time. The support from the stands will give them motivation and confidence. I will do everything I can in the dressing room, and the fans must help them on the pitch.
We have a difficult road ahead, but I believe in the team. We have good players. I am proud to coach this national team, and I want the fans to feel that too.