Manolo Marquez hopes to continue good run in the new season
With the eighth season beginning on Friday, the coach is confident of continuing the good run and going a step ahead to book a spot in the playoffs.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Football Club had an impressive outing last season under coach Manolo Marquez who took over the reins from Phil Brown. Despite playing with many rookie Indian players, the franchise from Hyderabad, impressed everyone with their style of play but missed out on a top-four finish by a whisker and settled for fifth place.
With the eighth season beginning on Friday, the coach is confident of continuing the good run and going a step ahead to book a spot in the playoffs. Speaking on the preparations, the 53-year-old Spaniard said the team is looking good ahead of the new season. “We had a good two months’ of preparations. We wanted to arrive with a full squad and in good shape ahead of our first game against Chennaiyin FC (on Nov 23). The team has a very strong pool of domestic players. We had a very good season last time and missed the top 4 finish narrowly. We want to continue the same style of player and improve on it and hope to finish among the top 4 after the league stage,” he said.
Speaking about the difficulties ahead of the new season, he added, “Pre-season is always difficult for all teams because of the Covid situation in the country. After season seven, the situation was bad, so we had to change our plans. We trained in Hyderabad before moving to Goa and we are back in the bubble.”
On the new signing of Bartholomew Ogbeche, who won the ISL playing for Mumbai City FC last season and was the third highest goal-scorer in the league, the coach said, “He is one of the top scorers in the last season. He scored goals all his life. We hope he continues in the same line. He is a good player in this competition.”
On plans against Chennaiyin, he said, “It is still five days away. We have all the players available for selection unless any injury happens in the next sessions. We have five sessions and we hope to come in our best shape for the match,” he added.
He said staying mentally strong is the key for the youngsters. “Mentality is very important. See the mentality of Sunil Chhetri, who is a clear champion. He forgets his previous action and focuses on the next immediately. Football is a game of mistakes. You will have bad days or a bad season. But the thing is you have to forget it and continue improving and focus on the next move. So the youngsters have to be mentally strong to be successful.”
Meanwhile, the new signing Ogbeche said that he will have extra pressure given that he would be playing with youngsters. “I see ISL getting better every season and I am excited to be part of it. We have a very young squad. Consistency is the key here for the youngsters. That could be the flow in youngsters’ game. It is a lot of pressure for me for sure. But I have to think about the good things I did last season and perform here. It is a new challenge for me to play in a new environment. There are a lot of expectations. With more youngsters, I have to take more responsibility. And I am ready for the challenge.”
Indian team player and defender Chinglensana Singh also said he was excited for the new season. “The majority of the squad has been retained. We have the same coach. We know the system and the style of play. That’s the good part. With new players coming in, it is all about getting into the first game stepping up our game. I am excited for the season ahead.”
“Last season was very good. We played a good brand of game. It is about getting the results this season and making it to the playoffs,” he said about his target this season.
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