Confident that the ISL season will be a good one for FC Goa: Manolo Marquez

FC Goa’s new head coach Manolo Marquez is optimistic that the upcoming season will be a good one for the club. Marquez took Hyderabad FC to glory in the ISL 2021-22 season and took the Nizams to the playoffs in the 2022-23 season but they lost in the semifinals.

The Spaniard will be looking to replicate the same success for the Gaurs and guide the players on the right track to get the best out of them.

Marquez has all the experience under his belt of coaching in India and he will look to make the most of it. FC Goa could not qualify for the playoffs in the ISL 2022-23 season as they finished in seventh place in the standings with eight wins, three draws and nine losses in 20 games. Ergo, Marquez will be looking to turn the tables in the upcoming season.

Recently, FC Goa qualified for the semifinals of the Durand Cup and they will aim to deliver as a unit in the ISL.

“In every interview, I say that it’s very dangerous to speak before the competition. We know that we want to be the Cup winners. But, for now, the goal is to arrive at our first match of the season in the best possible way,” Manolo Marquez said at the media day ahead of the forthcoming season.

The Spaniard also shed light on his time in Goa so far, saying, “I think that for a person like me who is from a country where football is like a religion, I think it’s a very nice challenge and a very nice idea to sign with a club like FC Goa.

“I’m very happy, and confident that the season will be very good for us. For me, pressure is another reason why I think coaches enjoy this profession, as it is a part and parcel of what we do. I’m enjoying the situation too,” he added.

Goa has added players like Udanta Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Boris Singh, Narayan Das, Carl McHugh, Victor Rodriguez, and Odei Onaindia to their roster. The Spaniard said it would be crucial for the team to come up with a collective effort.

“It’s not always about the coach in such cases. I can tell you about a lot of teams where the players don’t like the coach – but if they are all together, finally the strength of one team is the group. If they are together as a group, there is a bigger possibility of enjoying a successful season,” he explained.

FC Goa will begin their ISL 2023-24 campaign against Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad on 22nd September.