Who is Manolo Marquez, Indian football team's new head coach?

The Spanish head coach has in-depth knowledge of Indian football.

In July 2024, AIFF appointed FC Goa manager Manolo Marquez as the head coach for the Indian football team. Although the tactician is under contract with the Gaurs, he will leave once the 2024-25 season ends and fully take charge of the Blue Tigers. The Spaniard will be looking to complete his fifth season in the Indian Super League (ISL) before departing for his new national team job.

The 55-year-old has vast experience as a professional footballer and coach for the last 37 years. Manolo was a defender in his playing days and plied his trade for multiple clubs in the Spanish leagues. Afterwards, he coached in the same leagues with the notable exceptions of Las Palmas (main and B side) and Espanyol’s B side. 

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐳! 🇮🇳⚽️Manolo Marquez is excited to take the helm of the Indian team, promising dedication and success. 🏆Grateful to AIFF for this honor! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JyT1AYoLEg

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 20, 2024

After Igor Stimac’s dramatic contract termination this year, much was left to gamble for the AIFF as multiple coaches had thrown in their hats for the title. After some deliberation, the Spanish mentor was seen as the best person to nurture the nascent Indian side and vie for glory. Despite his selection, Manolo Marquez has vowed his loyalty towards FC Goa for this season and won’t be joining the national team with immediate effect.

Despite a glaring lack of silverware, the manager could nurture youngsters into top-class professionals that attracted the authorities. Let us delve into his achievements and what can be expected from his tenure as the Indian football team’s new head coach.

Who is Manolo Marquez?

The Spaniard has over three decades of experience in top-level football. He started his coaching career at only 20 years of age in 1989 when he would coach kids while playing third-division football himself. His first professional appointment was at PB Anguerra in 2002 where he had an impressive 50% win record. The tactician’s career highlight would be coaching the B teams of Espanyol and Las Palmas as well as taking charge of Las Palmas’ main team in La Liga 2016-17.

He also worked at NK Istra 1961 in the Croatian League before moving on to take charge of Ratchaburi Mitr Phol in the Thai League. Since then he moved to the ISL and won the trophy with Hyderabad FC in 2021-22. Most recently he signed for FC Goa ahead of the 2023-24 season and will be leading them till the beginning of next season.

Work Experience

Manolo Marquez started his career in club coaching with his last professional side, PB Anguera. Having retired quite early at 28, Manolo Marquez would go on to maintain an impressive stint at his former side for one season.

After two spells at AE Prat and one season at Tercera División side CE Europa, he was appointed manager of Segunda División B club Badalona on 5 June 2010. Manolo turned Badalona into serious contenders taking them to the playoffs during his two seasons in charge, but unfortunately missing out on promotion in both.

RCD Espanyol gave him his first real break after tasking him with their B side in 2013. However, the Pericos sacked him a year later as his assistant Sergio Soriano took over at the club. Manolo was given a similar opportunity at Las Palmas after two impressive campaigns with Prat and Sant Andreu. 

ALSO READ: What will be Manolo Marquez’s first games as Indian football team head coach?

There, the Spaniard racked up his best-ever tally with 31 wins out of 40 and led the Las Palmas B side to promotion. Las Palmas rewarded his contributions with a promotion to first-team head coach duties but a disappointing run in the La Liga 2016-17 season saw him exit the club. 

After spells in the Croatian and Thai leagues with NK Istra 1961 and Ratchaburi Mitr Phol, Manolo was roped in by Hyderabad FC. 

Manolo Marquez turned the Nizams into title contenders, leading them to the ISL 2021-22 trophy. The following year he was signed by FC Goa with a multi-year contract and he led them to their first playoffs in five years.  

Philosophy

Often branded as a defensive-minded coach, Manolo Marquez prefers to bolster his sides’ resilience on the back foot. His tactical virtuoso lies in the fact that he not only fields his teams with a solid defensive shape but also a highly fluid possession-based approach.

Manolo has had the gift of making the most of stringent conditions and helping players blossom. In the ISL he has taken it upon himself to nurture the most underequipped area of the national team: full-back. He structured his team at Hyderabad FC to create a central block and keep the wings free from an overload.

While his striker needs to be adept at dealing with aerial balls, the Spaniard has expertly shaped the likes of Akash Mishra and Jay Gupta to be modern, explosive attacking fullbacks. That also triggers wingers to take inverted runs and attack the goal directly leading to beautiful goals.

He prefers a 4-4-2 system, with the central midfielders being able to perform in a hybrid number six and eight role. That role was performed by Hitesh Sharma and Joao Victor at Hyderabad and by Carl McHugh and Borja Herrera at FC Goa.

Another important area of focus is the wingers as Aniket Jadhav, Nikhil Poojary, Joel Chianese and Noah Sadaoui were all under his tutelage. Manolo can be relied on to scout some of the most technically gifted talents in the country and nurture them to become more adept.   

Career Highlights

Manolo Marquez had a standout season as he helped Las Palmas Atletico get promoted after winning 31 games. Although his success abroad has been minimal, the tactician has displayed an aptitude for talent identification and development in India.

He turned underdogs Hyderabad FC into champions in ISL 2021-22 and that was easily his best display with limited resources. At FC Goa, he nurtured players like Jay Gupta into standout performers. There’s still time for him to take over as Indian national team coach but the prospect is looking exciting, to say the least.

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