Yeghishe Melikyan: Ukraine deserved to win, but Armenia did not deserve a major defeat

The former football player of Donetsk Metallurgist, and now the head coach of Yerevan Pyunik Yeghishe Melikyan praised Ukraine’s victory over Armenia in the Nations League match, held in Lodz, Poland, shared his opinion about Andriy Pyatov’s career in the country’s national team, and also spoke about his current club.

— Cjudging by the score, the Ukrainian team won quite easily. What did you see on the football field?

— I congratulate the national team of Ukraine on the victory. In the most difficult times, the citizens of Ukraine need a positive, and today it was. Fans of the Ukrainian national team rejoiced at this victory. I will say this: Ukraine deserved a victory, but Armenia did not deserve a major defeat. The strategy of the match was as follows: the Ukrainians controlled the course of the match, the players beat their opponents, put pressure on the opponent, used pressure.

The class of the players of the Ukrainian team was significantly higher than the players of the Armenian team. The Armenian national team used organized defense, playing on counterattacks. The game plan was good. But if the class of players on one team is significantly higher, then no plan will work. Goals scored are proof of this. Goal scorers are great players.

– But still, for 60 minutes, the Ukrainian team could not soak the gates of Yurchenko?

– In modern football, it is very difficult to break the organized defense of the enemy. Our team – Pyunik – is strong in the Armenian championship and we also have difficulties in opening the opponent’s defense. This is fine. The Armenian national team lasted 60 minutes in Lodz, and then the Ukrainians brought the match to the desired result.

– Who did you like in the national team of Ukraine?

— Alexander Petrakov has a lot of great players. Malinovsky, Zinchenko, Yaremchuk stand out. And yet, I would note that the defense of the Ukrainians today played with mistakes. The Armenian team could well have scored a goal. And then it would be even more difficult to recoup. Nevertheless, I like the work of the coaching staff of the Ukrainian national team headed by Petrakov.

— This match was Andriy Pyatov’s last in the Ukrainian national team. He now has 102 of them. He played for the national team of Ukraine for 16 years. This is a worthy…

– More than. In my professional career, I played against Andriy Pyatov in the Ukrainian league. We see that Pyatov has become a legend of the Ukrainian team. He showed his high level even today, in some moments he saved his team. Some players finish their international careers and no longer pull, as they say. But Pyatov is a real professional who, at almost 38 years old, shows an excellent game in goal.

Let’s get back to the sore subject if possible. The Ukrainian national team never made it to the World Cup in Qatar. What did our team lack to beat Wales?

– It happens that a strong team loses to a weaker one. The Ukrainians missed the World Cup Wales, which was weaker than your team. It’s just an accident. That’s what happens in football. We all see a strong national team of Ukraine. Also in recent months, everyone sees a strong country, Ukraine.

— Yeghishe, let’s move on to the affairs of the Armenian team. Why are the results of the Armenian team in Europe frankly average?

— I have been saying for a long time that the main problem of the Armenian national team is the lack of stability. We can play one match at an excellent level, and then fail the game. And when there is no stable game, then there is no stable result.

– Recently, the legend of Armenian football Henrikh Mkhitaryan completed his performance in the Armenian national team, focusing on playing club football. How to replace it?

– This is a big loss for Armenian football. Heinrich is the face of the team, its leader. Of course, his decision must be respected. Mkhitaryan has done a lot for the national team. He set a great example for young players.

– Do you see a new leader for the Armenian team?

So far, I don’t see it. Mkhitaryan was two heads stronger than anyone. In the future, our best players must progress. Of course, there are worries about the future of the Armenian team.

– Pyunik headed by you became the champion of Armenia, 7 years after the previous triumph. Was this championship difficult?

– I became the national champion for the first time as a head coach. A good, great coach always has titles. The championship title will be written into my resume. I share this achievement with my players, Pyunik fans and our president. Imagine, we left for the winter break, losing to Ararat-Armenia – 8 points. In winter, I told my players: “We must not lose even once, only then we will have a chance for the championship.” We have 17 finals ahead of us. All the players fought for the team, we had a strong spirit. We really wanted to become champions, the dedication of the guys was at the highest level. As a result, we achieved victories in 15 games, and ended two games in a draw. We are only one point ahead of our main competitor.

– Pyunik has the Champions League ahead. Have you already started preparing for the season?

– Yes. We train at home. Now the important point is selection. Several leading players left us. They were offered good personal terms. This is a normal football life. Now we need to strengthen and prepare for the Armenian championship and start in the UEFA Champions League. There is still time.