We are tough opponents for all – Armenian national football squad head coach

YEREVAN. – During a press conference on Monday, Armenian national football team manager Vardan Minasyan said that the FIFA standings are not too important for him.  

“The FIFA standings are important only in terms of which pot our team will be placed in. If we had taken the standings into consideration and brought out onto the pitch against the Canadians [in the recent friendly match] those players who had recently joined the team, we could have caused injuries to the team’s footballers. They had told me that the [friendly] match against Serbia was not for the rankings, but this was not the case. The main objective of friendly matches is to try out new playing systems and players,” Vardan Minasyan said.          

The manager of Armenia’s national squad also reflected on the World Cup qualifications.

“I cannot say which team is a tough opponent and which is not. [But] I believe we are tough opponents for all. We have fourteen players who play abroad, and it is very important that they get more playing time and be in proper shape.

At present, the [national] team has players in which foreign clubs are interested. This is very positive, since we are playing a high-level football. Armenia’s [national] squad is not a club, and the best are gathered here,” Vardan Minasyan stated.