The head coach of the Armenian national team, Alexander Petrakov, answered journalists' questions at the post-match press conference after the match against Kazakhstan.
The match ended with Armenia's victory, with a score of 2:1.
Alexander Petrakov's Press Conference:
— A few words about the game and who was the best player of the match?
— I liked the first 25 minutes, then we slowed down. We were lucky, if it’s luck, we deserved it. The best player of the match was the team.
— Nair Tiknizyan played in an unusual position as a left winger. Will you continue to use him there?
— We have many wingbacks. Nair played in this position for Lokomotiv, and I wanted to try Edgar Grigoryan, so we decided to experiment. Nair did great, he played with a fever, didn’t tell me, and still went out to play. As for who to put where, let's not rush, but ideally, a right-footed player should play as a left winger.
— Before the start of the Nations League, we played 4 friendly matches. What conclusions can be drawn?
— Very good opponents and good matches. I got a lot of information, and the players grew and gained experience from these matches. In Europe, there are no weak teams, for example, Gibraltar drew with Wales, so it’s hard to predict everything ahead. But I am very pleased with these friendlies and our players. I want to express special gratitude to our veterans: Kamo Hovhannisyan, Varazdat Haroyan, Artak Dashyan, and Ognjen Čančarević. They all help the young players, setting an example for them.
— How do you evaluate the team’s play with a false nine?
— I tried this during a scrimmage in training. I offered it to Eduard Spertsyan, he refused, said he needed a simple option. I suggested it to Sevikyan, we tried it, but it didn’t work very well. Then we talked with the players and decided that it’s still better with Artur Miranyan. As for the second half against Kazakhstan, I replaced Miranyan not because of his play, but because he had a slight hamstring injury, and we didn’t want to risk it. As for how Sevikyan did, you should decide, I will also watch and evaluate.
— Edgar Sevikyan performed well in both matches. How do you assess his progress?
— I wish him only the best. Today I gave Vahan Bichakhchyan a chance to start. Yesterday during training, I saw that Edgar Sevikyan was upset by this decision, so I called him over and said that it was a control game, everyone needs to play, you will get your time. There is progress, but he needs to improve his athleticism, he knows this. In my opinion, you praise him too much. Don’t over-praise. If our players are praised too much, it becomes impossible to manage them.
— How do you assess the support of the fans?
— A huge thank you to the fans. I wanted to play friendlies against EURO 2024 participants, such as Italy and others, but we had to play away, and I refused because I wanted to please the fans. The atmosphere in the stadium was wonderful. I really appreciate the respect and understanding from people, despite the defeats.
— What is your opinion of Edgar Grigoryan, who made his debut in the starting lineup of the national team?
— Very good impression of him. To be honest, when I first saw him at the training camp in Dubai with the team "Ararat-Armenia", Edgar played very little, Hakob Hakobyan was the main player. I approached and said that Edgar Grigoryan is much better than Hakob, he needs more playing time. Edgar is a very good guy, technically strong, very well-mannered. We gave him a chance to play, and he didn’t let us down, showing a very high level.
