Soccer:Armenia coach Vardan Minasyan has insisted it will be no tragedy if his team does not beat the Republic of Ireland to snatch a Euro 2012 play-off place.
The Armenians arrived in Dublin today ahead of tomorrow night’s Group B showdown knowing their unlikely charge towards the finishing line will come to a halt if they do not win at the Aviva Stadium.
However, a third-place finish behind Russia and Ireland would be no disgrace for a young side which has grown significantly in stature since losing 1-0 to Giovanni Trapattoni’s side in Yerevan in their opening fixture in September last year.
Minasyan said: “When I took over, it was a new generation because I brought 10 players from the under-21s into the squad in my first season. To make a team with good spirit, good work and good quality, that was my first goal.
“For this game tomorrow night, if we do not win, it’s no tragedy for us because we have already gained a lot from this qualification campaign.”
Armenia’s recent run of form — they have beaten Andorra, Slovakia and Macedonia in their last three qualifiers and scored 11 goals in the process — has put Ireland on red alert for a game from which they need just a point to ensure they make the play-offs.
They have gone from strength to strength since their last meeting with the Irish, and both Trapattoni and a series of his players have since reminded people of how good a result that has proved to be.
Asked what had changed in the meantime, Minasyan said: “It’s just two things: it’s confidence and experience.
“In the first game, we were a young team, but now they are more experienced and also more confident. They are young and they have great desire. They want to achieve something in their lives, and that’s to play football.
“We understand that the Irish team is a very strong team, but also we believe that we can win this game.
“I like the team spirit of this team because it’s the main thing. They fight all the time for the whole 90 minutes, even when they were 3-0 down against Russia.
“It’s always dangerous when you play a team with good organisation, rather than a team with good players who don’t play as a team.”
Armenia’s hopes have not been harmed by the news of Robbie Keane’s withdrawal through injury and Minasyan could not hide his delight at the absence of Ireland’s 51-goal record scorer.
He said: “He is a big player for Ireland and he is a player of great spirit. It is not good for the Irish that he is missing, but it is good for us.”
While Armenia have to win in Dublin, Ireland would consider it a major failure if they did not get at least the point they need, but Minasyan believes both will be under pressure.
“Both teams have pressure and it will be the team which handles it better that will have more chance,” he said.
At 37, Minasyan is a novice compared with 72-year-old Trapattoni, but while getting one over on the veteran Italian would represent a major achievement in his fledgling managerial career, that is not even a consideration.
He said: “This is not about me as a coach, this is about Armenia and Ireland. This is important to Armenia as a nation and I think also for Trapattoni, it is about Ireland as a nation. It is not personal, it is all about the team.”
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