Yegishe Melikyan: "We have a serious opponent — this is not San Marino"

FC Pyunik head coach Yegishe Melikyan held a pre-match press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round first leg against Hungarian side Győr. Melikyan acknowledged the strength of the opponent, emphasized the importance of tactical decisions, and explained his squad choices.

Melikyan’s comments before the match against Győr:

— We have a serious opponent, and we understand that — this is not San Marino. We know we’ll have to work very hard to achieve success. We’ve studied their playing style, watched all their friendlies. I sent my people to watch Győr’s matches from the sidelines. We’ve analyzed everything — we have a lot of information.

Győr play fast, modern football, using long balls behind the defenders. They have strong set-pieces, a cohesive group, and a young squad. Of course, they also have weaknesses, but I can’t reveal everything. I’ll just say we are the more experienced team. They haven’t played in European competitions for a while — that’s our advantage. The players’ character and support from the fans will also help us. I can see how players transform when they feel the energy of the stands.

Our coaching staff has prepared well. We’ve shared a lot of information with the players. The opponent is strong, but I’m sure they think the same about us. We really want to go through.

Győr are not weaker than Ferencváros — in the Hungarian Cup, they only lost on penalties. They have a good striker, strong wingers, reliable defense, and solid midfielders. A very tough team. But we have our tactical tricks. I hope we can use them — only tactical cleverness can help us win, because individually, they are stronger. Let’s see if we can execute it tomorrow.

In attack, we have good players, but none of them are at their peak yet. Still, I need to play them so they can gain form. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Why were there five former Ararat-Armenia players in the last lineup? Because that club does great scouting. I follow all players in the Armenian league closely. Some clubs work well in the transfer market, and I’m happy to sign those players. Why they leave their clubs is not my business. But when the chance comes, I take it.

Why is Alemao the captain? I have my criteria. He has experience, can control the situation, communicate with referees, and is respected in the squad. He’s the perfect fit for this role.

Why isn’t Bopesu in the squad? We all know how good he is — great stats. But some players just don’t fit the league or the team’s style. He couldn’t adapt. Same for Varazdat Haroyan — one of the best players of the Armenian national team. But he didn’t suit my system. We discussed it and parted ways respectfully. No conflict.

Same story with Bopesu — at the moment, he’s losing the competition. We’ll see how Kainourgios performs.

As for Sead Islamovic — it’s not easy to adapt in our team. We have a clear system and strong team play. Integrating quickly is hard. But I really like Sead — he has great qualities and a solid football education. We just need time.

Serob Galstyan is also an excellent player. I brought him in for his character — he’s very promising, and I believe in him. But he’s not ready for European competitions yet. He needs to play in the league first. For tomorrow, I chose more experienced players. Galstyan won’t play, but he’ll definitely get his chance during the season.