I like the performance of India under Manolo Marquez, says Syria's head coach Jose Lana ahead of Intercontinental Cup clash

Jose Lana also mentioned about giving game time to all players.

India host Syria in the final match of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup on Monday (September 9) knowing that whoever wins the match will be crowned champions of the tournament. Jose Lana’s side had gotten a hard-fought win over the Blue Tigers at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, and aim to do the same at the Gacchibowli stadium.

Jose Lana wary of India’s threat

Syria’s head coach Jose Lana voiced his respect for the Indian football team under Manolo Marquez, stating, “India is a great team, I like the way they play under Manolo Marquez. They try to keep the ball and move it fast. It’ll be a difficult match for us and our objective for tomorrow is to be a bit better than we were in the last match.”

Could Syria make changes from Mauritius game?

When asked Jose Lana he aims to play the same team that defeated Mauritius against the Blue Tigers, the gaffer responded: “We’ll make some changes. We want to check the performances of all the players who are with us and we need to try them out on the pitch.”

India not under added pressure

Jose Lana doesn’t feel like India are under added pressure as they’re playing at home and need a win to clinch the trophy, as he explained: “I think everyone wants to win the match every match we play. But it’s not the most important thing on the result of the match.

“The most important thing is to improve the performance. I don’t think India have pressure to win because they’re playing at home. They’ll try to play their best and we’ll try to do the same ourselves.”

Praise for Marquez’s impact

The Spanish manager also hailed Marquez’s early impact on the Indian football team while detailing their strengths, as he stated: “I like the performance of India under Marquez. I think they have a good organization, they know how to play well when they have the ball. They try a high pressing style to close down the opponent teams and they try to play attacking football when they have the ball. I think he’s doing a great job.

“I think they have a great organization when they don’t have the ball, and when they have possession they try to move the ball along one side to another side. It’ll be a difficult task for us to defeat them,” Jose Lana also added.

Could Thaer Krouma start?

Finally, when asked if Mumbai City defender Thaer Krouma could start against India after being on the bench in the last game, Jose Lana replied: “We’ll make some changes for tomorrow, but nobody knows the lineup apart from the players. The players are going to know the lineup before everyone else.”

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