Manolo Marquez highlights Mumbai City FC’s shortcomings after late Punjab FC equaliser

The Shers hold the Islanders at the last moment

The Mumbai City FC head coach felt a draw was a fair result after Gurkirat Singh scored in the final minute to deny the Islanders all three points in New Delhi.

Mumbai City FC head coach Manolo Marquez admitted that his side needed to improve their ability to retain possession after conceding a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 on Monday.

The Islanders appeared on course to secure their first win of the season after taking the lead, but Gurkirat Singh struck in the final minute to earn Punjab FC a share of the spoils at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Despite the disappointment of conceding so late, Marquez acknowledged that Punjab deserved a point, given their overall performance. He also pointed to Mumbai’s increasingly defensive approach, difficulties in retaining possession and concerns over injuries to Vikram Partap Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil.

Marquez believes a draw was a fair result

Mumbai City FC came close to securing all three points, but Punjab’s persistence eventually paid off as Gurkirat found the net in the closing stages. The Islanders had to play with effectively 10 men for the final few minutes after Wilmar Jordan Gil suffered an injury, with the team having already used all their substitutes.

While the circumstances surrounding the equaliser were far from ideal for Mumbai, Marquez was unwilling to suggest that his side deserved to win.

“Punjab deserved a point as well. We became too defensive, and we need to improve in attack. We conceded in the last minute, and considering the circumstances, we practically played the final 12 minutes with 10 men because Wilmar was injured and we had already made all our substitutions.”

“Punjab were pushing a lot, and they scored in the last minute. But if I have to be objective, I think a draw was a fair result,” he explained.

The result leaves Mumbai still searching for their first victory of the campaign after their opening-day defeat to Churchill Brothers. However, Marquez believes the point could prove valuable in a competitive league where every result matters.

Mumbai City FC need to improve their possession game

One of Marquez’s biggest concerns was his team’s inability to retain possession under pressure. Punjab enjoyed greater control of the ball, something the Mumbai head coach partly attributed to the continuity within their squad.

The Spaniard pointed out that Punjab have eight players from last season’s squad, while Mumbai have undergone significant changes ahead of the new campaign.

Marquez also acknowledged that his side’s attacking personnel, particularly their quick wingers, sometimes look to finish moves too quickly instead of retaining the ball and building attacks patiently.

“We need to keep the ball more. We had this problem even during pre-season. We have very fast wingers who want to finish the attack immediately, but sometimes they cannot hold the ball. We have the quality to keep possession, and we need to do better.

“Punjab had more possession because they have eight players from last season. Perhaps we are not comfortable enough in possession at the moment, especially with players like Noufal and Vikram, who are very quick and want to attack immediately,” he said.

Marquez also praised Farukh Choudhary’s work rate but admitted that losing Vikram to injury would be a significant setback for the Islanders.

Concerns over injuries to Vikram Partap Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil

Mumbai’s evening was further complicated by injuries to two of their attacking players. Vikram was forced off after suffering a blow to his shin, while Wilmar experienced a muscular problem towards the end of the game.

With the Islanders already dealing with a relatively inexperienced defensive unit, the possibility of further absences could make an already challenging start to the season even more difficult.

“Vikram looks to have a bad injury because he was hit on his shin bone. We will have to wait for the results. It is the same with Wilmar, who had a muscle problem towards the end of the game,” Marquez revealed.

The coach will now hope that the injuries are not serious, particularly with Mumbai preparing for their next fixture against Kerala Blasters FC.

Marquez reflects on the changing landscape of Indian football

The Mumbai head coach also spoke about the wider challenges facing Indian football, highlighting how significantly several clubs have changed over the past couple of seasons.

He stressed that the current Mumbai City FC squad should not be compared directly with the team that challenged for titles two seasons ago, given the changes in personnel and the circumstances surrounding Indian football.

“Due to the circumstances in Indian football, many teams are completely different now. Goa, Chennaiyin and even Mumbai have changed. This is a good team, but it is not the same team that was fighting for titles two seasons ago,” he said.

Marquez also highlighted the different trajectories of clubs across the league, pointing to Jamshedpur FC’s decision to leave the league and focus on their academy, the progress made by Punjab FC and NorthEast United FC through their Indian players, and the relative stability of established clubs such as Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

The Spaniard believes Indian football needs greater clarity regarding its direction, particularly as clubs operate under increasingly different circumstances.

Every point will matter for Mumbai City FC

Despite the late disappointment, Marquez insisted that Mumbai must focus on accumulating points rather than dwelling on missed opportunities.

The head coach revealed that he had told his players before the Churchill Brothers fixture that a draw against Punjab would be a good result. While he felt Mumbai should have won their opening game, he acknowledged that the points dropped in that match made it even more important to get something from their trip to New Delhi.

“I told the players before the Churchill game that a draw against Punjab would be a good result. We should have won against Churchill, but every point in this league will mean a lot. We need to fight for every point.

“If we lose players through injuries, it will become even more difficult, and we will have to fight harder. If Punjab had not scored, we would have been fourth. If they had scored twice, we could have been at the bottom. So, I am happy that we got at least a point. There is something to build on,” he stated.

Mumbai City FC will now turn their attention to their next fixture against Kerala Blasters FC as Marquez looks to address the team’s issues in possession and attacking play while hoping for positive news on the injury front.

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