The head coach of the Armenian national team, John van 't Schip, spoke to journalists after the crushing defeat to the Georgian national team in Tbilisi with a score of 1:6. The Dutch specialist commented on the game, the situation in the team, and once again touched on the topic of Grant-Leon Ranos' departure.
— What influenced such a result?
— When you start a match the way we did, conceding an early goal in the 4th minute, then the second and third, losing possession, and acting unprofessionally, there can be no other outcome. First of all, I want to apologize to the Armenian people for this game and this result. It is unacceptable.
— Georgia had an xG of 3.5 in these two matches but managed to score 9 goals. What is the reason for this?
— According to expected goals (xG), Georgia had a total of 3.5 in these two matches but managed to score 9 goals. This is due to individual mistakes by our players. We tried to create an artificial offside trap, but one of our players was left behind; we lost possession in midfield and on our own half. For example, when Stepa made an unsuccessful pass to Nair, which immediately led to a goal. Georgia is a strong team and ruthlessly punishes such mistakes. Moreover, Georgian players compete in strong leagues at a high level; they are a united team, whereas Armenian players play in less competitive leagues and could not show unity on the field. As a new coach, I couldn’t eliminate all mistakes in just a few days. However, I hope that in the future, we will learn from this as a team and as individual players.
— A question about Ranos. Could there have been a misunderstanding between you? Because in his statement, he said that it was a confidential conversation and that you both decided he should return to his club.
— There was no misunderstanding. Ranos directly told me that if he was not in the starting lineup, he would return to Kaiserslautern. I have never encountered a player setting such conditions. Maybe only Messi can afford that. I told him that he was not in the starting eleven but could come on in the second half. He is young and needs to patiently wait for his chance. However, he only wanted to be in the starting lineup. Considering that Ranos had played only 30 minutes in three months, I decided to keep him on the bench. A player must play for his country with full commitment, regardless of the minutes on the pitch.
— Could this result be a consequence of a bad atmosphere in the locker room? What did you observe over these days—is that really the case?
— The atmosphere in training was excellent. Of course, training and matches are different things, but I didn’t see anything in the locker room that indicated a bad atmosphere. We will work on our mistakes and move forward.