HFC coach Marquez confident of top 4-finish

Hyderabad Football Club coach Manolo Marquez Roca says he is confident of his club making it to the top four.

Hyderabad: With the Indian Super League entering its final leg, the race for top 4 spots is heading for a tight finish. Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, who have a comfortable lead at the top, are more or less set to take the two places. But as many as six teams are in contention for the last two spots.

Hyderabad Football Club coach Manolo Marquez Roca says he is confident of his club making it to the top four. The Spaniard feels if they continue to play the way they did so far in the tournament, they can hope for good results. With Hyderabad set to take on NorthEast United, who are also on 22 points like Hyderabad, the 52-year-old says a win here will serve them well.

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“It is important for sure. Not just this match alone, but all matches from here on as we are closely placed with three more teams in the points table. We are entering the last quarter of the league. All teams have four or five games left. It is very important to win these games. We will be in the top four if we win this,” he said.

Hyderabad are on a seven-match unbeaten run and picked up a win against Chennaiyin FC after four draws in their previous game. He felt the three points were crucial. “It is always important to win the game. The win also extended our lead over Chennaiyin and put us in a good place.”

The veteran manager also said that NorthEast United will pose a tough challenge given that they are doing well in recent times. However, he said they would stick to their own game style.

“I don’t think there will be any tactical changes. Every team has a different style and we have to know their strengths and weaknesses. We have to prepare for these kinds of challenges but we won’t change in terms of tactical things,” he asserted.

NorthEast have defeated strong teams like ATK Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City FC before holding FC Goa and Marquez credited their success to their coach Khalid Jamil. “The work done by Khalid is very impressive. It is not easy to win against tough teams like Mumbai and ATK. The most important thing is that he gives confidence to his players. They have very dangerous players in the back. They are confident,” he said.

When asked whether the team will feel the pressure given the tight race, he said, “I feel the teams like Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal, Odisha FC and Kerala Blasters practically, not mathematically, they don’t have chances of qualifying. Now there are less teams that can go to the top four. Goa, NorthEast and Hyderabad are with the same points. But Bengaluru, Jamshedpur can reach top four too. Every week we will have fewer teams that will be in fray. If you play football, you will be waiting for moments like these. You want to play under pressure and perform and this kind of pressure is what I want,” he concluded.

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