Ararat-Armenia One Step Away from History: Tulipa on the Universitatea Clash and an Unusual Bet

Ararat-Armenia are just one step away from a historic achievement — reaching the UEFA Europa League league phase for the first time in the club’s history. On the eve of the second leg of their playoff-round tie against Romania’s Universitatea Craiova, head coach Manuel Tulipa and midfielder Michel Ayvazyan spoke to the media.

The first match in Craiova ended in a draw — 1-1 — meaning the tie will be decided in Yerevan on August 27. The match at the Republican Stadium will kick off at 20:00. The winner will qualify for the Europa League league phase, while the losing team will continue its European campaign in the Conference League league phase.

Sportaran.com correspondent Garik Tovmasyan attended the press conference and unexpectedly found himself involved in a bet with Manuel Tulipa. The Portuguese coach suggested that the journalists shave their beards along with him if Ararat-Armenia win and achieve the historic result.

Tulipa also spoke about the team’s readiness, Universitatea’s strengths, Sandro Lima’s role and the psychological preparation for one of the most important matches in the club’s history. Ayvazyan, meanwhile, discussed his goals, his progress under the new coach and his ambition to earn a call-up to the Armenia national team.

Press Conference Ahead of Ararat-Armenia vs Universitatea Craiova

Michel Ayvazyan

— You previously trained at Ararat-Armenia under Vardan Minasyan, while Manuel Tulipa is now the head coach. Has anything changed for you?

— Two years ago, I didn’t have the experience I have now. I spent two years at BKMA, where I got a lot of playing time and gained experience. Now I’m better prepared both physically and mentally.

— This will be the most important match of your career. How ready are you for it?

— The team is very well prepared. Everyone knows how important this game is for us and for the whole country. We will do everything we can to make history.

— You have already played several matches under Tulipa. Is there anything in particular that you have learned from him?

— Yes, there are many things I have learned from the coach. There are things I didn’t used to do on the pitch, but now I do them thanks to him. I have become more confident, although there is still plenty of room for improvement.

— You are receiving a lot of positive feedback about your performances, both from the coach and from journalists. What motivates you to keep developing?

— My goal is to make the Armenia national team and play in Europe. I’m still a long way from that, so I need to keep improving.

— Your style of play is very similar to Armen Ambartsumyan’s. Do you often watch him in training and try to copy what he does?

— When I first started joining the first team for matches and training sessions, Armen was always there for me and helped me with everything. I picked up a lot from him, copied certain things and watched him closely. That is why there are similarities in the way we play.

Manuel Tulipa

— You made extensive changes to the lineup in the league match against Sardarapat. Can you tell us what condition the players are in now and when the injured players are expected to return?

— The players are in very good condition and are training well. At this stage of the season, we are essentially using two squads: one in the domestic league and another in European competition. But it will not always be like this. The players who played in Craiova did not play against Sardarapat. The main thing for me is to know that every player is ready for the match both physically and mentally, because we are at a very important stage right now. Every player on the bench must be ready to come onto the pitch at any moment and save the game. In the upcoming match, the team must play with twice the motivation.

— You watched the first match from the stands. Were you able to influence the game and control the process from there?

— Of course, it is uncomfortable for me to be in the stands while my team is playing. But my influence on the game does not happen only during the match. We prepare for the game throughout the entire week. Everyone knows their job, the team has its own style of play, and that helps us cope even when I am in the stands. The main thing is to communicate our ideas to the players. Perhaps it happened more slowly than usual, but it worked. The substitutions we made were also a way of communicating the changes we wanted to make in the game. And the coaching staff did a very good job.

— In the first match, we noticed that Ararat-Armenia were quicker than their opponents. You may be at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength, but your team seems faster in its movement around the pitch and in its work with the ball. What strengths did you identify in the opposition?

— I can say that the most difficult thing for us was dealing with their high press. With that in mind, I asked the players to strictly maintain their positions so that we could move forward with the ball. The opposition are indeed physically stronger than us and won more of the duels. But we have to use our speed to avoid getting drawn into those battles. Universitatea also use the flanks very effectively in attack, but we managed to contain their wingers.

— How did you prepare the team psychologically for such an important match?

— When I first arrived at the club, the first thing I started working on was the mentality and psychology of the players, so that they would always strive to win. That helped us become champions of Armenia. As a result, we now see a very good team. I also really like the fact that we effectively have two full squads, with two players for every position. There is strong competition in every position. Whether we win or not, I am certain that we will play at full strength and give everything for victory. I think the most important thing in football is not talent, but attitude and mentality. We have no problems in that respect. Mentality is important not only for us, but for other Armenian teams as well, and for players who want to grow, play in Europe and represent the Armenia national team.

— How dependent is your attacking play on Sandro Lima? The opposition may try to shut him down completely. How might that affect your team, and who could replace him if necessary?

— We have three centre-forwards in the squad, and we trust all of them. But Sandro is the most consistent and the most experienced of the three. He has played in many countries and has been successful. We are talking about a 35-year-old player, but I am amazed by his attitude toward his profession. He keeps himself in excellent shape and takes care of his health and nutrition. When we brought him into the team, many people had doubts because of his age, but he has shown impressive form. We also really like the way he combines with his teammates in attack. Previously, we built our attack around our wingers Serobyan and Shaghoyan, but with Lima’s arrival our attacking play has become stronger and more varied. In any case, we should not forget that this is all the result of teamwork. Many of his goals have come from very good collective play by the entire team. If the opposition completely shuts Lima down, we also have Alioune Ndour and Araik Eloyan. They are very different players, and each has his own strengths. We should also remember that we became champions with them, so I have complete trust in them.

— Mr Tulipa, many teams, coaches and players have pre-match rituals or lucky charms. As I remember, you had a lucky shirt with a bear on it. Will you have any kind of ritual before tomorrow’s match?

— The main lucky charm for tomorrow’s match is the positive energy within the team. We are trying to carry that mood onto the pitch, and so far it has only benefited us. I am sure it will help us tomorrow as well. I wore that shirt with the bear for 29 matches, and we did not lose any of them, so there was no reason to change anything.

— Maybe you’ll wear that shirt tomorrow?

— I have a bet to offer you. If we win tomorrow, then both I and you journalists will have to shave our beards.

— We all know how important it is to win tomorrow and play in the Europa League, but what would it mean to you personally?

— First of all, I love to dream, and you don’t have to pay taxes for that. Before thinking about myself, I think about how much tomorrow’s victory would mean for all of Armenia and for Armenian supporters. Here, I have realized that football is not just entertainment. The people who love football here live and breathe it. We want to show that football in Armenia has huge potential and great opportunities. That is the most important thing for me.