Manolo Marquez names this player as best left-back in ISL

The tactician spoke after an impressive comeback win by the outfit against the Kalinga Warriors.

Hyderabad FC maintained their position at the top of the Indian Super League 2021-22 table with a crucial 3-2 win over Odisha FC. The Nizams had to show resilience after trailing at the break and then going on to score three. Goals from Joel Chianese, Joao Victor and Akash Mishra were enough to secure the points, taking their tally to 23 for the season. Manolo Marquez was full of praise for his players who showed a lot of character.

OFC were in good form coming into the fixture and it was a tough battle between the two outfits. Gaining three points from the game is a huge step in the right direction for the club. 

The tactician spoke about the game with the media during the post-match press conference. He touched upon several talking points and here is what he had to say:

Odisha made it hard

Manolo Marquez analyzed the game. Speaking on the manner of the win and how hard the opposition made it to get three points, he said, “I am very happy because every game is a battle. The key is to win every game in this situation, where (it's not clear) which players will be available in your team and the other team.:

“We were losing at half-time. This is the reason why I am happy because it is not easy to score against a team that did not concede in the last two matches,” the Spaniard continued.

Satisfied with being on top

Due to postponements, there are many teams that have played fewer matches than HFC. Despite that fact, Manolo Marquez mentioned being happy about being at the top of the league table. He was quoted as saying, “At this moment, we are satisfied because we are on top.

"There are other teams with a lot of games. The table is not real. We have to wait, but of course, we are satisfied with our win. We have to continue and we will fight till the end to finish in the top four.”

On conceding second goal

The Nizams had a nervy end to the match and did all they could to hold on to their slender lead. Talking about conceding after going up by two goals and the nervous finish, Marquez said, “After we equalized in the second half, we entered a lot of offensive players on the pitch like Rohit (Danu) and Yasir (Mohammad).

"When we scored second and third, we needed more consistency, but did not have the players. I am happy for Jonathas (de Jesus) who scored a great goal, but finally, we were satisfied with the starters and the substitutes because we know we will need all of the players.”

Praise for Akash Mishra

The left-back made an assist and scored the third goal, which proved to be the winner in the end. Speaking on the performance by the full-back and his goal, Marquez said, “It’s not his job, but you always think while preparing your squad that defenders can contribute with some goals.

"I think Akash is a player whose aerial game is brave and I am happy for his goal. In my opinion, he is the best left-back in the ISL for me.”

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