PANJIM: After missing out on the semifinal spot last season, Coach Manolo Márquez continued with his game plan which saw them finish second behind Jamshedpur FC in this edition. They are already being regarded as the title favourites considering their brilliant performances in this edition.
Hyderabad FC has smashed in 43 goals, the most by an ISL club in this edition in the league stage, and conceded 23 goals, just two more than the ISL shield winners Jamshedpur FC.
Manolo had many challenges before coming into the season. Firstly, they lost their brightest talent –Liston Colaco and then the league rules allowed them to play just four foreign players, thus increasing the number of Indian players.
“We saw many teams make big Indian signings at the start of the season, at the same time Hyderabad FC continued with the majority of the key players making key signings rather than big signings,” Manolo said.
For Manolo, it was the continuity in the team which gave them the success on the field and made them one of the most feared teams in the league.
“Continuity is important in every team. All the people spoke about our players, six of them were with the national team and among them was Liston, who isn’t with us now. But we didn’t need to change the players. We lost the first game against Chennaiyin FC but after that, the team performed well. The continuity of players is important,” stated Manolo.
“We had 16 points in the first leg and collected 22 in the second leg which was still better. There were some teams that struggled. And we took advantage of this.
“The continuity is everything,” Manolo said, who earlier made a fantastic summer signing bringing in Bartholomew Ogbeche. The former Mumbai City FC player is the leading scorer in the league with 17 goals from 17 matches. He also got an assist to his name.
HFC weren’t at their best when Manolo first arrived at the club. But once he took charge of the team, the fortunes changed drastically. And Manolo feels, it’s the respect HFC has earned through their performances in the league.
“I think, more or less, we have the respect of our players from the other teams. But we need to play a good game to have the chance against a big team like ATK MB, we need to play well. These are the four strongest teams in the league. If we arrive in good physical conditions, it will be two good games,” Manolo added.
Where the past HFC technical side failed to find the right system to get the best out of the players, Manolo changed the whole system. A lot of players flourished at Hyderabad FC including many Goan players who otherwise struggled in the past at their former clubs.
Goa– a hub for talent
Among the entire lot, Manolo knows the importance of the Goan players associated with the Goan clubs in Indian football.
“As a State Goa is one of the most important States in terms of football and traditions. I know, NorthEast is a State with more players in ISL, but Goa, football is practically their number one sport. In the Goan championship – the Goa Pro League, there are a lot of players and the way it influences everyone is important,” Manolo stated.
Laxmikant Kattimani and Sahil Tavora are two players who have gone from strength to strength in this edition. Aaren D’Silva is another name in the squad, but the young lad has managed to get just 50 minutes of playing time. Then there is Chinglensana Singh, who also played for FC Goa earlier before joining the Nizams.
“I think we are happy with these players. Unfortunately, during their time at FC Goa they were young, I know Kattimani played a lot of games, but depending on the moment of career maybe Sana and Sahil were very young at that moment. Maybe Liston was young too, now they are in the correct moment and in the correct place. This is the reason they have good quality and they play at a high level and some of them are in the national team now,” explained the Spaniard.
Manolo now has his toughest challenge in the semifinals as the Spaniard will clash against his countryman –Juan Ferrando’s ATK Mohun Bagan, a side which has lost just once in their last 16 league games with the defeat coming in the final league game against Jamshedpur FC.
