Facing Mohun Bagan at Salt Lake will be great learning experience: Manolo Marquez

Manolo Marquez mentioned that winning the Durand Cup will be an honour.

FC Goa are set to face Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the semi-final of the 2023 Durand Cup. The winner of the contest will lock horns against East Bengal in the final for the trophy. Manolo Marquez, head coach of the Gaurs, is hoping to win his first silverware with his new employers.

The Spaniard tactician took Hyderabad FC from struggling in the bottom places of the Indian Super League to winning the competition in 2021-22. His time at FC Goa is already off to a good start and winning the coveted Durand Cup will serve as a sensational beginning to life together.

However, he understands the task of facing the Mariners and the difficulty of defeating them on the field.

Preparations

Manolo Marquez believes that playing top teams in the Durand Cup is helping FC Goa’s preparations ahead of the start of ISL’s new campaign. “It is always very good for any team to play in the semi-finals of a prestigious tournament like the Durand Cup. It is very good for us also, especially as we have been facing some top teams. We have just started the last part of our pre-season preparations prior to the start of the ISL, and we are happy to play in competitive situations like this right now,” he said ahead of the face-off against Mohun Bagan.

Importance of winning the Durand Cup

The tactician spoke about how fielding his strongest squad is important to prepare for the season ahead. Furthermore, winning the Durand Cup is going to be a major achievement for the club according to the head coach.

He said, “For me, the Durand Cup is an important competition. Additionally, it also presents me the chance to prepare my team for the league season. Additionally, doing well in the Durand Cup, qualifying for the knockouts, and maybe winning the trophy greatly boosts the confidence of the team, not to mention how big of an honour it is to win a competition like this.”

Focus on players in the squad 

Manolo Marquez refused to talk about potential incomings to the club and deemed it impolite to talk about players who are not at FC Goa. “We are in pre-season training, and we are closely monitoring how our players are working and getting themselves ready for the season. We are happy with the squad and the players are improving every week,” he explained while rejecting the opportunity to speak about potential incomings.

The difficult challenge facing the Mariners

Manolo Marquez has a lot of respect for Mohun Bagan and acknowledges their squad’s strength on paper. On the prospect of facing the Mariners in the semi-final, he said, “We know that we are facing a very strong team, who have a lot of money to spend as well. Thus, they can sign very good players. They have signed practically the best young Indian players.”

“Facing them in the semi-finals will be a very difficult challenge, but at the same time it is also a fantastic chance to prepare for the ISL – the atmosphere at the Salt Lake Stadium will be favourable to them, and to face them in such a situation will be a great learning experience,” he further added.

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