Manolo Marquez questions scheduling, says 3 matches in 10 days too much

The Nizams face the Gaurs looking for their third win in a row.

The ongoing Indian Super League season will see Hyderabad FC and FC Goa clash on Saturday. Manolo Marquez’s men are flying high after two wins in their last two matches. Goa have also won two on the bounce following three defeats in their first three matches.

The Spanish tactician is aware of the threat posed by their upcoming opponents. He likened their playing style to Mumbai City, the league leaders who lost against the Nizams earlier in the season. HFC have high ambitions this campaign and winning the upcoming game will be a major step towards fulfilling the objectives.

Manolo Marquez interacted with the media where he answered some important questions and presented his views on topics pertaining to the upcoming clash. Here are the excerpts from the conversation at the pre-match press conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpXDRTyKJo

On previous result

The win against NorthEast United elevated the team to the top four places. Talking about how crucial the win was, the tactician said, “I think all the results are crucial. Even more in a competition with only 20 games. It was crucial because you prefer to win than to lose.

"We are still in the beginning, only one-quarter of the competition is done. We have to continue and the biggest learning from that game is that we have to play with more continuity for the whole 90-minutes.”

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FC Goa’s form 

Post a terrible start to the campaign, Juan Ferrando’s men are slowly regaining their form. Talking about the challenge FC Goa will pose, Marquez said, “It’s another tough game. The ‘not normal’ thing is Goa lost three consecutive games.

"They have changed the system in the last two games. They are playing good football, they try to keep the ball because this is the style of FC Goa. It will be a tough game, it will be tough for Hyderabad but also for FC Goa, for sure," added Manolo Marquez.

Approach against Gaurs

Speaking in regard to the playing style of their next opponents, the Spaniard said, “They play very good football, it’s a style that I like. They keep the ball and try to play. I think it’s similar to Mumbai City FC’s games.

"When they have the ball, you have to defend with a lot of order and when you recover the ball, try to play, avoid the press of the opponent. This is football, attack, defence, transitions and the team who is better in every (department) finally win the game.

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“I think we have two teams that are very different. I think, the last season we were more a team that kept the ball. Now, we play according to the situation,” Marquez insisted that his team is more adaptive this year while talking about the progress from last season.

Tight schedule

Manolo Marquez also touched upon the tight schedule and how it affects the players and their fitness. “I think this problem is for all the teams, not just for us. Three matches in 10 days are too much. Of course, it affects the fitness of the players.

"You only have to look at the list of injured players in the competition. I think we have a good bench and have enough players to play in some moments,” he opined on the issue.

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