Yeghishe Melikyan Ahead of Latvia Match: "I Don't Consider Armenia's Nations League Campaign a Failure"

Armenia national team head coach Yeghishe Melikyan and forward Artur Serobyan answered journalists' questions ahead of their final group-stage match of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League against Latvia. The Matchday 6 encounter will take place in Riga on November 15.

Armenia can no longer finish higher than third in Group C2, meaning the upcoming match will not affect their final position in the standings. Nevertheless, Melikyan emphasized that his team remains determined to fight for victory despite having nothing left to play for in terms of the standings.

During the pre-match press conference, the head coach discussed developing a winning mentality, competition within the squad, and Armenia's overall performance in the current Nations League campaign. In particular, he refused to describe the team's results as a failure, pointing instead to improvements in their performances.

Meanwhile, Artur Serobyan spoke about the players' motivation and the team's struggles to convert scoring opportunities, which were evident in their previous match against Cyprus (1-1).

Artur Serobyan: "Every Match for the Armenian National Team Is Extremely Important"

— Considering that Armenia will finish third in the group regardless of the result, what does tomorrow's match against Latvia mean to you? What is the team's motivation?

— It doesn't matter what position we're in. Every match for the national team, whether it's a competitive fixture or a friendly, is extremely important. We always take the field aiming to win. Every game means a lot to us.

— In the last match against Cyprus, the team created plenty of scoring chances but failed to convert them. What exactly is Armenia lacking to achieve positive results?

— I don't think we're lacking anything. That's football: you can create many chances and fail to convert them, or you can make the most of your opportunities. The match against Cyprus, just like our previous games, showed that our team has a clear understanding of how we want to play, its own playing style, and quality. I think everyone could see that.

Of course, perhaps we were a little unlucky with our finishing in the last match, but that's football. Right now, we're preparing for tomorrow's game, which is very important to us.

— What's the mood like in the team ahead of the Latvia match?

— The mood is excellent. After the match against Cyprus, we focused on recovery, and we still have a little time left. Tomorrow, we'll give everything we have on the pitch.

Yeghishe Melikyan: "We Want to Develop a Winning Mentality in the National Team"

— What does tomorrow's match mean to you personally, considering that it no longer has any significance in terms of the standings?

— This is a very important game for us. We need to think not only about the three points but also about the future of our young team. We need to achieve consistency and develop a winning mentality, something the national team has lacked for many years.

We want to build a winning spirit and experience the taste of victory. At the same time, we understand that winning in Riga will be very difficult. Latvia play well at home and always make things difficult for their opponents.

— How have you motivated the players to win a match that no longer has any significance in the standings?

— First of all, there is competition within our squad. Every player must understand that they need to give their maximum in every match if they don't want to lose their place in the team.

Secondly, we represent our country. There are many other factors as well, so in my opinion, there can be no shortage of motivation.

The fact that we have nothing left to achieve in the standings will not affect our desire to win in any way.

— Armenia have not achieved the results that fans expected in this Nations League campaign. In your opinion, what has been the main reason for the disappointing performance: a lack of resources, the quality of play, or the level of the players?

— I don't consider this a failure, and I want to emphasize that once again. If I had taken charge of an already established, fully prepared team, then such a result could be considered a disappointment. But we had certain problems, and the national team was in the process of building a new squad.

Building a team is a process that takes time. Yes, we haven't managed to achieve the results we wanted, and there have been disappointing matches. But I don't consider it a failure.

When I analyze our work, I can see that we've done many things right, made some progress, and are moving in the right direction.

Yes, we've had setbacks, but this is not a failure.