Manolo Marquez stresses positives despite late setback against Hyderabad FC
posted in Interviews by FC Goa Official on 9th January 2025
posted in Interviews
by FC Goa Official
on 9th January 2025
Manolo Marquez stresses positives despite late setback against Hyderabad FC
Despite a commanding performance for most of the second half, FC Goa led by head coach Manolo Marquez were denied victory against Hyderabad FC on Wednesday night, by an injury-time equalizer from Allan Paulista.
The Gaurs thus remain in third place in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 standings, missing a chance to close the gap on the top two teams. After a goalless first half, Armando Sadiku put the hosts in the lead in the 51st minute, but Hyderabad’s late push earned them a share of the spoils.
While the draw was a missed opportunity for the Men in Orange, Marquez remains optimistic as the Gaurs continue their quest for a strong finish in the league.
“We lost two points, but this is football”
Reflecting on the result, the tactician highlighted the challenges of defending a slender lead in the closing stages of matches.
“In the last minutes of a game, when both teams are playing with 10 men and when you are leading by just one goal, there are always options for the trailing team to score and finish with a draw. Then, if you don’t score a second goal, you’re going to have problems. But it’s never easy, because when you’re winning 1-0, whether you want it or not, teams try to play it safe. And at that point, Allan (Paulista) scored a good goal for Hyderabad to equalise.
“Finally, we got one more point, and that’s all. We can do nothing but self-criticism, even for me with some substitutions,” Manolo Marquez added.
“If we had kept the scoreline at 1-0 and won the game, everything would have seemed fantastic. But now, with the 1-1 draw, it seems that maybe there were some things wrong. But this is football, and we need to keep going. Obviously, we lost two important points today. But then, it’s very difficult in this league to win every game. As of now, we are nine games unbeaten, and this is very, very difficult.”
Tactical decisions and substitutions
Manolo Marquez also addressed questions about Carl McHugh’s deployment as a center-back, a move that raised eyebrows.
“Obviously Carl is a defensive midfielder, but we were thinking that if we put one foreigner in every line in the beginning, maybe we could control the game better, but it did not turn out that way. And then, in the second half, playing with (Sahil) Tavora and Ayush (Chhetri) as center midfielders and Borja (Herrera) as an attacking midfielder, I think the team was better until Borja got his red card.
“I think we had the best minutes of FC Goa in the game at that point. We could have scored the second goal too, then.”
The Spaniard also commented on Armando Sadiku, who returned to the starting XI and found the net again. “Armando is a striker, and he scored again today, so he did his job. It’s true that he had more chances – I remember one good headed attempt of his in the first half.
“But finally, it’s not about this or that. I feel we didn’t play a fluent game. We were not very good, except for some phases. We were not very good with the ball, and especially when it seemed like we were controlling the game, suddenly, in the last minutes, we lost this control.
“This was perhaps the reason that I made a change in defence, to play with Carl as a midfielder. But it got worse, ultimately, because they equalised – and the coach was wrong with the substitution,” he explained.
Respect for the Opponent
Marquez acknowledged Hyderabad FC’s approach and credited them for the result.
“We knew that it was a very dangerous game for us. If you ask me, I prefer the HFC side we played away from home last month. If you remember, they played better that day, and we still won 2-0. That day, Hrithik (Tiwari, goalkeeper) was our best player, and they had several chances.
“Today – yes, they had good positioning on the pitch – but I didn’t feel the danger I felt then. We cannot, however, say that the final score is unfair. We can say that it’s painful, because we conceded in injury time. But this happens in football – sometimes you score in the last minutes, like we did against NorthEast United FC and Mohammedan SC, and sometimes you concede,” the 56-year-old observed.
Looking Ahead
The Gaurs will now prepare for their next game against NorthEast United FC, with Manolo Marquez hinting at changes in the lineup.
“Borja will serve his red card ban, so he will not be available. Odei Onaindia will return from his suspension. Hence, obviously changes will be there.
“That said, I don’t feel that we lost just because of the substitutions today because we’ve been doing this all season. All of our players are involved in the process.
“Sometimes, a result like today’s is good for the team to come down to earth. Now, we know that in six days, we have a very difficult game in Guwahati – against NorthEast United, who are playing good football at the moment and enjoying a good campaign,” he signed off.