Manolo Marquez: Those who haven't been in line-up will play against JFC

The Hyderabad FC tactician is expecting a tough game despite the lack of stakes in it.

Hyderabad FC face Jamshedpur FC in their upcoming Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) game at the G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Saturday. The Nizams have already secured qualification into the 2022-23 ISL playoffs. In fact, by cementing their second-place finish, Manolo Marquez's side can breathe easy as it takes them straight to the semi-final stage of the competition.

Manolo Marquez is one of the best head coaches in the Indian Super League. He is humble, realistic in his expectations and a diligent worker. He expects a tough challenge from Jamshedpur FC, a club looking to play for pride.

The tactician spoke about multiple aspects of the upcoming game. He was joined by Mark Zothanpuia in the pre-match conference as well. Here are the excerpts:

Praise for opposition

Manolo Marquez is not taking the upcoming game lightly. While talking about what he expects from the contest, he praised Jamshedpur FC’s attacking prowess and said, “It will be difficult because they are playing good football. I think that they found the correct team after the arrival of Rafael Crivellaro. They have good players with very good quality, especially in attack…for me, it's a surprise that the previous League Shield winners are in this (bottom half) position in the league. In the last few games, they are showing the level that they have.”

Focus on winning

The Spaniard is not letting the standards drop at Hyderabad FC. He expects the team to end the league stage with a win and prepare for the upcoming ISL 2022-23 playoffs. In this context, he said, “It’s true that we are second. The target for the regular season is over. We have to prepare the team and we can’t stop. On Saturday, the players who have not been in the line-up but those who deserve to will play.”

“We want to win,” he said in a firm tone during the press conference.

Mark Zothanpuia on the upcoming challenge

Mark Zothanpuia is one of the players who can be one of the starters in the upcoming game. The midfielder has not played enough football this year and will be looking towards the last two games of the season as an opportunity to impress the management.

While talking about what he expects from the match against Jamshedpur FC, he said, “We have trained very well for this game. Jamshedpur FC are good in physical duels. They have good foreign and Indian players. It will be a tough game, but we will fight for the three points.” 

Learning from the foreigners

The midfielder also talked about how playing against better and more experienced players is helping him develop as an individual. “We have been training with good foreign players, last season as well. I have improved in many aspects like my passing and body positioning, and more. If you train every day with top players, you learn a lot,” he concluded.