Manolo Marquez not taking Jamshedpur FC lightly despite their poor start

The Nizams are gearing up for an exciting clash with last year’s ISL Shield winners.

Hyderabad FC will be on the road as they face Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Wednesday. This is a highly anticipated clash between last season’s Indian Super League Shield and Trophy winners. The Men of Steel took the top spot in the league last term. However, a change in head coach has led to a less-than-impressive start to the season.

The Nizams are ISL 2022-23 winners and have started their title defence positively. Manolo Marquez and Co. have won four of their first five matches with the other being a draw. The objective in the upcoming fixture will be to secure three points and also extend the unbeaten run.

The head coach shared his thoughts ahead of the game and gave his opinion on a range of topics. He was also joined by Joel Chianese. Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Clash of the champions

Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC were superb last season. Talking about the clash, Manolo Marquez said: “It is true we will play the winners of the Shield. We were the champions last season but every season is different obviously. One big difference is the continuity in our team.”

“I know in Jamshedpur there are a lot of players who were last season in the team but when you change the coach, it is not easy. Owen Coyle had a very clear style and I think Jamshedpur is still searching,” he said suggesting that the Men of Steel are still finding their way.

Difficult to beat

The tactician believes that his team are difficult to beat and the focus is not just on a trio of attackers who are delivering for HFC this year. He said in this regard, “You are speaking about two of the best Indian players and a top-scorer in ISL. I think we are not only focused on these three players (Halicharan Narzary, Yasir Mohammad and Bartholomew Ogbeche). We have a lot of offensive players and young players in the squad who have a good future.”

“It is not about attack or defence. I think that the strength of our team is the group, on and off the pitch. We are a difficult team to beat but we know if we are not focused we can lose against every team,” he added.

Playing in front of spectators

Jamshedpur FC will have the backing of the home fans when these two teams meet. Talking about the prospect of playing at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Manolo Marquez said: “To play two years in the bubble was very hard. If you ask everyone, coach or players, we prefer to play with the crowd, even if it is the crowd from the opponents.

"I hope and expect that tomorrow will be a very good atmosphere. We know, after the last defeat, how is the character of players in Jamshedpur. For sure, again it will be a tough fixture after the last game, they would want to show they can play in front of their fans.”

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Joel Chianese on togetherness in the team

The attacker gave his opinion on the togetherness in the squad and how important continuity is to the club’s success. “It's our strength, not only the group but also keeping the group together over one, two-three seasons. In the ISL, a lot of teams change their players every year looking for maybe a better answer or better players paying more money for different guys.

"But, the importance of keeping a group together and working on the same structure, the same formation understanding your role, understanding what the coach wants of you is very important.”