We're facing a team with a good coach, says Manolo Marquez

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez wants his team to show character.

FC Goa will face NorthEast United in an exciting ISL clash on 21 February at the Fatorda stadium. The stakes are high as both teams are looking to win and make their position stronger in the league table. Coming on the back of a defeat, head coach Manolo Marquez looked confident while answering the queries thrown by the media.

Let’s dive deep into the excerpts from the interaction.

Bouncing back

Manolo answered very calmly when he was asked about the reaction of the team after the defeat to Mohun Bagan. As a very confident speaker, he said, “I don’t know players or coaches in history who are undefeated throughout their career. You have to train and prepare the team for the next game. A good team is always known by their quality of bouncing back and how they react. We need to show character and try to play a good game to get three points tomorrow.”

Injury concerns

Injuries always cause a problem for a side, but then it’s a part of the game. “Sandesh and Victor’s injury is a concern for the team but then it’s football, and anything can happen,” Manolo remarked. The Goa boss said that the situation needs to be managed well as injuries are a part of the game but they have replacements for players and they need little time to adapt to their playing style.

“Let’s see, I am on the same page as last week. I think that in the top five, we will fight for the first position and five teams are fighting for the sixth position. It’s still the same and I think that will be the same for a long time,” Marquez explained.

Approach

The Spaniard shared his approach to the game. He said, “You never know when will be the most difficult game. We know now that we are facing a team with a good coach. The team is better than in the first leg because they signed two foreigners and they increased the level of the team. But we know that we play against NorthEast.

“We need to enter the pitch tomorrow with maximum concentration and focus. It’s not about crazy attacking football, but we need to show a good mentality to win this game,” Manolo Marquez elucidated the tactics.

Pressure

The tactician said that he had already spoken about the pressure in the previous week. “The pressure is different. Some players are more affected when something is wrong. And other people like me enjoy more than feel the pressure. Because finally, if I have to feel the pressure, maybe it’s better to do another job.”

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