Serobyan and Tulipa ahead of Celje return leg: “We are on the verge of a historic result”

Ararat-Armenia forward Artur Serobyan and head coach Manuel Tulipa answered journalists’ questions at a press conference ahead of the second leg of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Slovenia’s Celje.

The first meeting between the teams, held in Yerevan, ended with a 2–1 victory for Ararat-Armenia. The return leg will take place in Slovenia on August 11.

If successful, Ararat-Armenia will become the first Armenian club to reach the Champions League play-off round. In addition, the team will guarantee itself at least a place in the main stage of the Europa League.

Armenian clubs have previously competed in the main stage of the Conference League and reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League, but none have managed to progress beyond this stage. Armenian teams have also never played in the main stage of either the Europa League or the Champions League.

Ararat-Armenia press conference ahead of the return leg against Celje

Artur Serobyan

Artur Serobyan, who scored one of Ararat-Armenia’s goals in the first leg, spoke about the team’s mindset ahead of the return fixture.

— How prepared are you psychologically for the match?

— There are no nerves at all. There is only a great sense of responsibility toward the team, and everyone understands that. Every player realizes that we are in a very important and responsible situation. So tomorrow we have to do everything possible to achieve a positive result and make our people happy.

— After the first match, has your opinion of Celje changed compared with what you expected before the first game?

— They are a very high-quality team. They have strong players in every area and are very well organized as a unit. Our coaches told us that they had very good players, and during the match we saw that for ourselves. But we also played excellent football and proved that we can play well against any opponent.

— What is the most difficult aspect of playing against Celje?

— I cannot single out one particular thing. We understand very well that an extremely difficult match awaits us. They are playing at home, and in front of their own supporters they will be even more confident. But we also believe in ourselves because we won the first match. Every detail will be important tomorrow.

— On your flank, you are used to playing alongside Kamo Hovhannisyan or Hugo Oliveira, but Julio Bueno has played there in recent matches. How is your understanding developing?

— Before this, Bueno and I had not played on the same flank, while Kamo, Hugo and I understand each other very well. But Bueno and I have also managed to develop a good understanding. He already knows that I am strong in one-on-one situations against defenders, and he tries to get the ball to me quickly in those situations.

His strongest quality is his defensive play, so he does not join the attack as often. But there were several occasions when he moved forward well and we attacked together. I think our understanding will continue to improve from match to match.

— During matches, you often switch flanks with the other winger. How do you know when it is time to change positions, and does it always happen on the coach’s instructions?

— Sometimes the coach gives us that instruction, and sometimes we decide ourselves. There are situations when, after a set piece, I find myself on the left flank and stay there for a while so that we do not leave any open spaces.

I think our unpredictable changes of flanks cause problems for our opponents. It is difficult for them to understand how to neutralize us in those moments. That helps us.

Manuel Tulipa

Ararat-Armenia head coach Manuel Tulipa stressed that the team intends to preserve its own footballing identity and fight for a historic result.

— You often say that it is important for you to preserve the team’s playing philosophy and control possession. But Celje also like to have the ball. How much could that affect the match?

— I always tell the players that I am very pleased that, in such a short period of time, we have managed to develop our own identity and style of play. Our identity is not only about possession.

Our style is defined by the way we play both with and without the ball, how we maintain our intensity and control the flow of the entire match, not just possession. When I say that we must not lose our identity, it does not mean that we necessarily have to keep the ball all the time. We have to control the course of the match.

In the previous rounds, we had problems at the beginning of matches and then managed to correct the situation. I told the players that this scenario now has to change and that we must play very well from the opening minutes.

Of course, the opponent is strong and it will be difficult for us. But we also know how to play our football, and we will do everything we can to start the match well.

I will say once again that our main objective is to turn our dream into reality and reach the Champions League. Yes, participating in the Conference League is also a good result, and we have already secured that. But our goal is to make our dream come true — the dream of the club and of the entire country.

— The team effectively has two strong line-ups now. Do you feel that you have not yet fully settled on your first-choice XI and that there is still serious competition within the squad? How do you choose your starting line-up?

— Yes, it is true that this season our squad is more competitive and has greater quality than last season. Unfortunately, we have some absences: Kamo Hovhannisyan, Armen Ambartsumyan and Juan Balanta will not play. Balanta is already in the final stages of his recovery from injury.

For a coach, it is very convenient to have such a wide range of options because we can have players with completely different characteristics playing in the same position.

Our opponents can also be very different, so we can select the starting line-up based on their style of play. I can highlight three things that I demand from the players and that I am currently happy with: hard work, commitment and quality. I see all of those things in my players, and I am pleased with the squad we have.

— Ararat-Armenia have already come very close to reaching the Europa League twice in the past. How ready is the current team to take that important step forward?

— I can say only one thing: everything we have achieved so far is down to the players, their good football and their hard work. We have brought in some good new players, and now we have a strong team.

We all understand that we have an opportunity to achieve a historic result. We have gone through many difficulties, and I am happy that the team continues to grow.

This is a huge challenge for us. We will do everything possible to reach at least the main stage of the Europa League.

In this Champions League campaign, we have already found ourselves in completely different situations, but making the right decisions during matches has allowed us to keep moving forward, while the players have shown character. The return legs have not been easy for us, but up to this point we have managed to get the result we needed every time.

— What difficulties do you expect from Celje in their home match?

— I watched their latest match against Olimpija. Their coach did some things similar to what we did in our match against Urartu, including making several changes during the game.

The main difficulty when playing against Celje is that they are capable of increasing the tempo and intensifying the pressure as the match progresses. In the game against Olimpija, the score was level, but they wanted to win and kept raising the tempo and the pressure.

We expect to see the same thing against us. We have to be ready for it and be more aggressive ourselves.

— Thank you for giving us the chance to keep dreaming. Usually, when a team achieves its dream or its main goal, the players and coaches come up with some kind of celebration or make a promise. If you at least reach the main stage of the Europa League, what will you do?

— I promise that I will shave completely after that. Nothing else. A tattoo is out of the question.

I will only say that both the coaching staff and all the players fully understand the historic opportunity that is in front of us. I simply tell the players that they should not be afraid to dream as big as possible.

We have to go onto the pitch without fear and pursue our dream. That is exactly the mindset with which we are approaching the match.

Celje confident of comeback against Ararat-Armenia: “We will show that we are the better team”