Manolo Marquez: Igor Angulo will be the top scorer this season

The Spaniard spoke ahead of his side's clash against FC Goa on Wednesday.

Hyderabad FC take on FC Goa in their Indian Super League match at the Tilak Maidan on Wednesday. The Nizams have failed to register points from their last two games and will be looking to bounce back against the Gaurs. Ahead of the vital match, head coach Manolo Marquez spoke to the media.

Bouncing back from consecutive losses

Hyderabad FC had a perfect start to their campaign, but their joy was short-lived after suffering two back-to-back losses against Mumbai City FC and Kerala Blasters respectively. Speaking about the mood in the dressing room, Manolo Marquez said, “I think the young players are sad because we lost two consecutive games, but this is football. In 20 matches, we can play some good games and bad games. We are satisfied with the work of the players.”

“Sometimes, you're in a good situation – after the first five games, we were unbeaten and now we have consecutive defeats. We have to come back as soon as possible to win again. We are working in this direction, let's see if we can get the victory tomorrow against Goa,” he added.

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Failing to convert chances

Hyderabad have scored only six goals in the season so far and have been criticized for missing chances in their last two games. When asked about how the team is planning to rectify the issue, the Spaniard said it's tough to judge how things go in a match. “It's difficult. In the training sessions, we scored a lot of goals in different exercises. But finally in the game, we didn't get to score. Sometimes, you have only two chances and score two goals, sometimes many chances but don't score. This is football,” the Spaniard commented.

ALSO READ: Hyderabad Vs Goa Preview: Can Nizams get back on track?

On Igor Angulo

Igor Angulo will be Hyderabad’s greatest threat in the vital game scheduled for tomorrow. The Spaniard has scored eight goals in as many games and has rescued FC Goa every time with his clinical finishing. Going into the game, the Nizams’ Manolo Marquez showed a lot of respect for his fellow countryman. “Igor Angulo is a very good player. For me, he will be the top scorer because he is the most clever forward in the league. He doesn't need too many clear chances and is very clever in the box with feints and good movements,” stated the tactician. “In open play, he plays just in the line of offside. He is a player who is difficult to mark,” he claimed.

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Team News

Hyderabad FC have missed the services of their foreign players Fran Sandaza, Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre due to injuries. Although the Indian contingent of the Nizams hasn't let their absence be felt on the pitch, now with two back-to-back unfortunate results, the coach will want them to be a part of the team. Much to his relief, Sandaza made an appearance off the bench in the last game against Kerala Blasters and will be ready for tomorrow’s game as well. “Fran, for our team, is very important,” said Marquez. Speaking about the other two Spaniards, he confirmed, “Yes, tomorrow both (Joel and Lluis) will be in the squad list for the game.”

On new signing Roland Alberg

Hyderabad acquired the services of Roland Alberg for the rest of the season. The Dutch-born attacking midfielder recently got a call-up for the Surinamese national team in October 2020 and will be the perfect man to create chances for the Nizams’ attack, believes the coach. “He played Eredivisie, in the US’ Major League Soccer. He is a very technical player and very good from set-pieces. I think he is the one player that we need at this moment,” stated Manolo Marquez.

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