Armenia's head coach Alexander Petrakov spoke to the media ahead of the Armenia-Cyprus friendly match to be held on March 28.
Alexander Petrakov- Yesterday we had a rehabilitation session in two groups. Players who played the full match or came on as substitutes were training in a relaxed mode. We will see how well they recovered today after the training session. There are specific gauges indicating this. As for the Cypriot team, this is a pretty good European middle class team. They looked good in the game against Scotland.
My opinion about the match against Turkey. Almost all of the opponents were a little bit better than our players in their positions, but our guys thanks to their dedication were able to level the difference a little. In the match against Turkey there was a controversial episode, when Taron Voskanyan was brought down in the penalty area, in this episode a penalty should have been awarded, but the referee didn't even ask for a VAR.
To play short and medium passes, you need players of the appropriate level. As a coach, I too would like to play with short passes, have possession of the ball most of the time, and come out of defense with only passes, but that requires players of the appropriate level. We also need time to be able to instill that style of play in the team. There will be some changes. I myself still need to understand who of the players is psychologically ready for such games and to what extent. For example, before the game I had a conversation with Gheorghe Harutyunyan. I explained him how to play and he managed to overcome anxiety and show good game.
Overall, I am satisfied with both game discipline and players' approach. In the locker room, too, when I talk, it is very important to see the reaction. As for tomorrow's game, compared to the game with Turkey, the rival, which was a big irritant, the game with Cyprus has a different character. I hope there will be a normal approach. I am still getting to know everyone, trying to understand their approaches. But I can say that overall I am satisfied with the players' approach. All the guys are understanding," Petrakov said.
