ISL 2025-26: Manolo Marquez blasts organizers ahead of Bengaluru FC clash

FC Goa return to Fatorda after playing their last three games away from home.

FC Goa, who has started the Indian Super League 2025-26 season unbeaten, will try to continue their winning streak against Bengaluru FC on April 4th, 2026, at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. They have 10 points in six games and are seventh in the ISL standings coming into this contest.

While Manolo Marquez would be pleased with the Gaurs’ outstanding start to the season, there have been several underlying flaws that they have been unable to address. The lack of diversity in goal scorers, with the exception of Dejan Drazic, and the bad start to games have been recurring challenges throughout the year.

Ahead of the game against Bengaluru FC, FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez and midfielder Harsh Patre addressed the media about the opposition, Pep Munoz, goal scoring troubles, and other things.

Manolo Marquez on mood in the camp

While FC Goa had two victories and four draws in their first six games, they have endured three consecutive draws in their past three, failing to establish themselves and earn all three points. The head coach discussed the mood in the camp after the three draws and the international break.

“The mood is very good because the group is top. I think even if we lost all seven games until the end of the season, I will tell you that the group is top. You wake up every morning and you know that you will enjoy in the training session. Sometimes you will be better, sometimes you will be worse. Sometimes you want to cross and pass the ball and the ball goes out and sometimes you score an incredible goal.”

“But finally, in terms of attitude, in terms of how they are between them, again, they are more friends than teammates. The two foreigners are Dejan. We spoke about Dejan already. He’s like another Indian player. Paul now is adapting very good, better than before, than in the season. The group is very good.”, added Manolo Marquez.

Manolo Marquez on Bengaluru FC

“Bengaluru FC have five or six players in the national team, always. In the last years, Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC are the teams with more players in the national team. Very good players. Now the goalkeeper recovered his former level. All the line of four Indian defenders are in the national team. In the last (camp), Sana was not there, but before all four were in the national team.”

“We have Suresh in the bench now, in the last games. We have Sunil, Ashique, now Williams. We are speaking about top team. One of the favorites to arrive to the Champions League. Even Mohun Bagan, that is for me the favorite team to arrive to the Champions League. Cannot play because of the ban.”

“For me BFC is one of the, and maybe Mumbai, and maybe Bengal. I’m sorry because maybe I forget some teams, but this is one of the teams who can arrive to Asian competition next season.”, added Manolo Marquez.

Manolo Marquez on Pep Munoz and Renedy Singh

Despite Renedy Singh’s promising start, Bengaluru FC surprised everyone by replacing him with Spanish head coach Pep Munoz during the international break in March. Manolo discussed Pep’s CV and the unexpected decision to replace Renedy Singh.

“I know Pep Munoz. Pep Munoz is a top coach. He was in Cambodia. I saw, for example, the final of the challenge when he was in Cambodia playing against Arkadag. They played much, much better, but they lost the final. Very good coach in China. Very good curriculum.”

“Everyone is speaking to give chances to Indian coaches. It’s difficult to do better than Renedy. Then suddenly, I don’t know if they sack him, if he leave in the team, if he will be in the bench because I think the new coach is still not here.”

“I don’t know who will be the coach in BFC during the game, but it didn’t change our plans because if they play with Renedy, they will do the same. If they play with the new coach, he won’t have time to change nothing. We expected a good Bengaluru, but we need to be more focused in our team because in the last two games, I think that we were maybe more focused in the opponent than in our performance.”, added Manolo Marquez.

Manolo Marquez on goal-scoring woes

FC Goa has only scored six goals this season, averaging one goal per game. Five of the six goals have been scored by foreign players, with center-back Sandesh Jhingan being the only Indian goal scorer. Dejan Drazic has four goals and two assists, demonstrating an overdependence on the Serbian.

Manolo insisted that the Indian players have to step-up in the final third and take their opportunities and score more goals.

“Here we have very good players, but we are having problems to finish the action because if you see Chennai, we had more options than the opponent. If you see Punjab playing a bad game, we had more options than Punjab. East Bengal playing a good game, we had more options than East Bengal. I understand that for me it was fair the score in Kolkata because the game was a good game, but we played with a lot of personality, but we have problems to finish the actions and this is the reality.”

“Finally, the other day we scored in a set-piece in a corner in the minute 88. Even like this, after this we could have scored the second goal, but this is the problem that we are facing. But I feel that we have very good players, very good Indian players, very disciplined with a very good attitude and the two foreigners that we have, they are helping a lot. But it’s true that the team is not very balanced in this aspect”, lamented Manolo Marquez

Manolo Marquez on team news

“Ayush is starting to train again. But he has four yellow cards. He cannot play this game against Bengaluru. He’s not in the list obviously. for the next game he will be available. Nemil is available. He has to play with mask. When you have a fracture in the cheekbone, he will play with mask at least two or three weeks. Ishan Pandita is still out for this game. I think only Ishan and Ayush are out for this game.”, added Manolo Marquez

Harsh Patre on lack of game time

Harsh Patre, who played for Bengaluru FC last season, joined local club FC Goa on a free transfer ahead of the new season.

However, he is failing to rack up sufficient minutes this season, having made only one appearance and playing only 32 minutes, which came recently against Chennaiyin FC. Harsh spoke about how difficult it is to get through this period.

“The coach, the staff, the players, they have been very helpful. Actually, when the team is doing good, for coach it’s difficult to change directly or to put different players. So, for me, I can understand. As a player I can understand when the team is doing really good, you have to wait for your chance. When the coach wants you, you can play or give your best”, insisted Harsh Patre on his lack of minutes.

Manolo Marquez on ISL schedule

In the post-match press conference following the draw against Chennaiyin FC, Manolo Marquez blasted the organizers for having bias to certain teams in terms of scheduling. And he was in the same mindset in the pre-match press conference ahead of Bengaluru FC, expressing his displeasure with the continual alterations in the fixtures.

“It’s a pity that we have to play this disaster of competition. This competition is a complete disaster, these 13 games. Now, coming here, I read that again, two more games, they change the fixture and will be at least four or five more changes. You will play the last game and maybe there is one team that has to play still four or five games.”

“It’s not serious. I can understand they say, OK, we need to play 13 games. Let’s see if we do something this season, but at least, at least prepare the next season, please. OK, we are playing here. The stadiums are almost empty, but at least prepare the next season. But I’m not very optimistic in this aspect, in Indian football. If without changes, I am very pessimistic.”, pleaded Manolo Marquez

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