Manuel Tulipa Ahead of Torreense Clash: "Our Only Goal Is Victory. Armenia Needs UEFA Ranking Points"

Ararat-Armenia head coach Manuel Tulipa and midfielder Benny Dias attended a press conference ahead of their away match against Portuguese side Torreense in Matchday 4 of the UEFA Europa League league phase.

The upcoming encounter will be particularly special for several members of the Armenian club. Tulipa previously coached Torreense, while Benny Dias and Juan Balanta both played for the Portuguese side.

Torreense, who compete in Portugal's second division, qualified for European competition by winning the Portuguese Cup.

Speaking ahead of the match, Tulipa emphasized that his team is determined to secure victory despite losing all three of their previous Europa League matches.

Benny Dias: "If I Score, I Won't Celebrate Out of Respect for My Former Club"

— Benny, you previously played for Torreense. How does it feel to face your former team? And if you score, will you celebrate?

— Of course, playing against Torreense will be something special for me. I played here before, but now I represent a different team. We have prepared well for the upcoming match, and I really want to win. If I score, I won't celebrate out of respect for my former club.

— You joined Ararat-Armenia later than the other new signings. How did you manage to settle into the team so quickly?

— The adaptation process was quite easy because I had already worked under Manuel Tulipa before. Thanks to that, I almost immediately felt as though I had been part of the team for a long time.

The only difficulties were related to moving to a new country and dealing with the language barrier. Overall, I'm happy with my performances for the club, and I hope we can achieve great things together.

Manuel Tulipa: "The Europa League Has Taught Us Different Ways to Win"

— Portuguese coaches often achieve success against their former clubs. For example, José Mourinho has faced teams he previously managed on numerous occasions. What does the upcoming match against Torreense mean to you?

— Back in the summer, we secured qualification for the Conference League, but we eventually found ourselves in the Europa League. I fully understand that we are not a team capable of winning this competition. However, through small victories, we have gradually developed a winning mentality.

For me, it has always been important to win while maintaining our own playing style. But competing in the Europa League has taught me that results can also be achieved through different tactical approaches.

We have experimented with various ideas and realized that we can win even without dominating possession.

It doesn't matter to me who our opponents are. I want to win every match.

We are extremely motivated right now. Our only objective against Torreense is victory.

A good example is our recent win over Noah. We made several tactical adjustments in that match, which helped us achieve the desired result. Overall, our team has made significant tactical progress recently.

We want to win not only for our club but also for Armenia as a whole, because our country desperately needs points in the UEFA rankings.

— Ararat-Armenia have already played three matches in the Europa League. In the first two games, the team performed very well during the opening 20 minutes before experiencing a drop in performance. In the third match, the strongest spell came during a 20-minute period in the second half. How can you maintain that level throughout an entire match?

— Consistency is indeed one of our biggest problems, especially in European competitions. We will try to address that in the upcoming match.

Yes, we have lost all three games, but I don't consider them complete failures. In every match, there were positive periods when the team played good football.

Right now, I'm focusing on those positive moments. Our task is to understand how we can make those periods last much longer.

We also shouldn't forget that we have suffered only one defeat in the Armenian league. So it's not as though everything is going badly for us.

After three Europa League matches, we have already learned a great deal. I respect our opponents, but I know we are capable of beating Torreense.

— Artur Serobyan often drops deep and actively helps the team defensively. Torreense have a very attack-minded left-back in Vasquez. Does that mean Serobyan will once again be primarily focused on defensive duties?

— On the contrary, it means Serobyan needs to perform even better in attack to prevent Vasquez from pushing forward and joining his team's attacks.

At the same time, I want to emphasize that Artur is very good at carrying out his defensive responsibilities.

The fact that he is attracting so much attention and that he will leave the club in January speaks volumes about his quality.

Nowadays, when clubs sign players, they assess not only their attacking abilities but also their defensive contributions. Serobyan is excellent in that respect.

He has reached this level thanks to his hard work and character.

When Is Torreense vs Ararat-Armenia?

The Europa League Matchday 4 fixture between Torreense and Ararat-Armenia will take place on November 5 in Portugal, with kick-off scheduled for 00:00 Yerevan time on November 6.

A Serbian refereeing team will officiate the match.

After three rounds, Torreense have collected three points and sit 28th in the overall Europa League standings. Ararat-Armenia have lost all three matches, remain without a point, and occupy the bottom position.

The upcoming encounter offers the Armenian club an opportunity to earn their first points of the current Europa League campaign.

Torreense to Face Ararat-Armenia Without Malik Abubakari as Portuguese Coach Assesses Opponents