Problem is in entire team – Armenia national squad boss

By Vera Martirosyan (Mainz, Germany) 

We didn’t have worthy substitutes at the defense and the midfield. Armenian national football squad’s Swiss manager Bernard Challandes stated the aforesaid at the postgame press conference, as he commented on Armenia’s 1-6 defeat against Germany in Friday’s friendly in Mainz, Germany, the NEWS.am Sport reporter informed from Mainz.

 “I wanted to make a substitution when it was 1-1, but [Armenia international and FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) forward Arthur] Sarkisov’s subbing was delayed, since there was a problem with [his] socks. In the meantime, we conceded two goals.“We certainly aren’t saying that this was the cause for our defeat. I have great respect for the German national team, but that episode was terrible for me; I’m angry    

“Today, there was no player in the [Armenia] squad who disappointed. It’s a team problem. We were running, working a lot. The problem is not in one player, but rather in the entire team.“When it was 1-1, the Germans brought out new players and renewed their game. At that time, our players were very tired, but we didn’t have the opportunity for making substitutions.“Germany are one of the main contenders for the World Cup.   

“I hope that we will play another friendly match before the qualification game against Denmark. But based on the FIFA calendar, we will have to do with domestic games,” Challandes specifically said.