Yeghishe Melikyan: “I came to work and to give hope to the fans”
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
The first official matches of the Armenian national team under new head coach Yeghishe Melikyan will take place in September — on the 6th against Portugal and on the 9th against Ireland as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Ahead of these games, Melikyan gave his first interview to FFA TV, where he shared his thoughts about the upcoming work, the team’s goals and objectives.
Previously, Melikyan coached FC Pyunik Yerevan, achieving notable success both domestically and in European competitions. As head coach of the national team, he replaced Dutch specialist John van’t Schip.
Yeghishe Melikyan’s message
On the upcoming challenges
“I consciously accepted this challenge, fully aware of the strength of our future opponents. I am confident that after such matches we will gain more experience and valuable data for analysis. We always need games like these.
Of course, in such a short time it’s difficult to implement everything I am planning. But we have good players, and my goal is to build a fighting team out of them. It’s too early to talk about systems and tactics, but I can say that the basis of my strategy will be faith, dedication, and discipline.”
On the demands for players
“I came here to work with everyone, but if there are players who do not understand our philosophy and goals, then we cannot work with them.
When I played for the Armenian national team, most of the players were local. Now there are more legionnaires. This is a question of mentality. Players must embrace the spirit and commitment that we had back then. Those coming from abroad should understand: this is not a club, this is the national team. Here we play for the country and for the fans, not for ourselves.”
On perspectives
“We have good players, but there are many aspects where we can improve. There is room for growth and development. We have very promising young players and an excellent youth team with a great coaching staff.
I am sure that if we are patient and keep working with these guys, we will soon have a very strong national team. I have closely followed the national team’s matches, attended all home games. I see the problems and I know how to solve them. I believe that in half a year or a year we will see a completely different team.”
On philosophy
“For me, the most important thing in football is not to lose in the locker room. On the pitch, you can concede, but in the locker room — never. When you win in the locker room, victories on the pitch will eventually follow.”
On working with the federation and fans
“You know that I have criticized the Federation, raised important issues. I will continue to do so, because once I took this job, I immediately started thinking about how to solve these problems.
I fully understand how difficult our challenges are. But I am sure that we have the will and the belief to overcome everything. In the end, everything will be fine.
Football exists for the fans. I understand them very well and I want to be with the team together with them. Fans have expectations: they want victories and they truly miss them. That’s why I decided to give them hope and to bring them deserved wins. Maybe it won’t happen immediately, but I will try to change the atmosphere.
I came here to work!”
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