I think that one position that India is ok is defence, says Manolo Marquez after India's draw in Intercontinental Cup opener

The manager cited the lack of players’ fitness as a contributing factor to the result.

The Indian football team returned to action for the first time since June in their opening 2024 Intercontinental Cup clash against Mauritius. The Blue Tigers played out a goalless draw against the Les Dodos in front of a packed crowd in Hyderabad. It was also Manolo Marquez’s first assignment since taking over the hot seat of the national team.

It wasn’t a game of many chances as both teams maintained a strong backline. But, there’s a lot to do for the tactician and his team because the first game has not lived up to its billing. The team was not well-coordinated and appeared to be out of rhythm, indicating areas for improvement.

Here are the excerpts from after the game as Manolo Marquez addressed the media and shared his thoughts in the post-match press conference.

Thoughts on the game

The head coach began by sharing his thoughts on the game and termed it to be ‘a boring game’, but also highlighted the efforts of his players for keeping a clean sheet.

“My feeling is that the game was very boring. This is my feeling. Practically without chances, precision, both in finishing, complete death. We didn’t train, only to do training sessions, but I told from the first day that I didn’t want excuses, and the best thing is the effort of the players and the other thing is that we didn’t concede. Some good performance and other players that they need to improve, but it’s normal because it’s very early and some of them finish very tired,” Manolo Marquez asserted.

Update on Naorem Roshan Singh

Sharing an update on Naorem Roshan Singh, Manolo Marquez informed the media that the player had a little discomfort and therefore he wasn’t risked in the game against Mauritius.

“It was with a little discomfort. I don’t know if it was in the last game. And prevent it because if it’s an official game, he could play. But we don’t want to risk now with the players. And this is another good news. No injuries at this moment. All the players will be available for the next game,” he quipped.

Thoughts on the midfield

When asked about his thoughts on the trio of Apuia, Jeakson Singh, and Anirudh Thapa, Manolo Marquez articulated, “In fact, I told you in my press conference that we need to find the correct team. I wanted to see, to check, to watch how these guys, that they are very good players in different teams, but very good players, how they manage the situation against Syria, we will watch other players.

“It’s not about finding the best players, it’s about finding the correct societies in the team. For example, Suresh played very well in the minutes that he played. Today with a lot of personality, these kinds of players are the players that the national team needs.” 

Thoughts on Jay Gupta’s performance

Speaking about Jay Gupta’s performance, Manolo Marquez said that the player did not have a good game. He also added that Gupta is a center-back and not a left-back.

“Jay Gupta didn’t play a good game. In fact, he’s a center back, he’s not a left back. He’s a center-back. In FC Goa, he will play as center back,” he added.

Takeaways from the game

The Spaniard opened up about the takeaways from the game and said that the defensive duo of Rahul Bheke and Sana Singh were one of the best takeaways from the match.

“I think that one position that India is okay because it’s the center-backs. Today for me, Rahul and Sana, they played a very good game. We have some days with Sandesh (Jhingan), Anwar (Ali), and Mehtab (Singh), and we have more players, not now, in the national team. The coordination between Rahul Bheke and Sana (Chinglensana Singh) maybe was one of the best things today,” Manolo Marquez revealed.

Managing both FC Goa and the national team

When asked about his thoughts on managing both FC Goa and the Indian national team, the tactician replied, “I know that this will be the typical question of the season. And I know because today FC Goa qualified for the final without me, which means that I am not the reason that FC Goa is a good team.

“Again, it’s not the first, it won’t be the last time that this happens in football. It’s not very common, it’s true. In India, it was more common because some coaches in the national team were in clubs.”

“More or less because in my experience maybe if Goa is working and the national team is not, they will say that he’s focused only on Goa, if it’s the opposite they will say the opposite.

“Don’t be focused on these kinds of aspects and be focused on improving the national team that we are now here and the club when we are in Goa,” Manolo Marquez signed off.

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