PYUNIK’S DUTY GUIDES PETROSYAN
by Khachik Chakhoyan

UEFA, Switzerland
Jan 9 2007

FC Pyunik coach Samvel Petrosyan told uefa.com that he is committed
to using local players as his club seek a seventh successive Armenian
title in 2007.

Homegrown talent Having taken charge of Pyunik in March 2006, Armenia
Under-21 coach Petrosyan enjoyed a splendid year, winning the league
title by 16 points and helping a new generation of locally-born
players to find their feet in domestic competition, having resisted
the temptation to bring in foreign players. "We could not win every
competition, but we won our sixth title and that was our main target,"
the 52-year-old told uefa.com.

‘Main target’ "Pyunik beat all our closest rivals in head-to-head
matches and in the process we managed to give a run-out to many
youngsters who will be playing more important roles next season." With
Petrosyan’s young national squad winning three of their four UEFA
European U21 Championship qualifying games in 2006, just missing
out on a place in the play-offs, the coach feels that his policy of
supporting young players at Pyunik is being vindicated, and he has
no intention of changing tack.

Pyunik duty "Among other things, I think the club has a duty to
provide better players for the national teams," he said. "If we rely
on foreign players then how can we expect our youngsters to gain skill
and experience? Today’s young players are the spine of tomorrow’s
Armenian national team." The only concern for Petrosyan is that,
in the event that Pyunik’s more experienced players – the likes of
Sargis Hovsepyan, Rafael Nazaryan and Arsen Avetisyan – are lured
abroad, he would be left to defend the title with a very young side.

"We will have problems if that happens, but we have talented players,
who will become decent replacements in time," he said.

Foreign rivals League rivals FC Banants, FC MIKA and FC Ararat Yerevan
have threatened to bring in foreign talent to crush Pyunik’s youngsters
in 2007, but Petrosyan is unconcerned. "Last season, most clubs had
plenty of foreigners, but we won the league comfortably without them,"
he said. "If we don’t win the cup or the title we will not make a
tragedy out of it. Our main task is to prepare youngsters for the
future. We are building a new team, and if two or three top class
players emerge, that is a result in itself."