Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: After helping Hyderabad qualify for the playoffs for two consecutive seasons and winning the 2021-22 Indian Super League title, head coach Manolo Marquez has joined Goa to take them back to their lofty heights.
The Gaurs qualified for the playoffs in six of the first ISL seasons but haven’t made it to the end-of-the-season knockouts stage in the past two seasons with the managerial door continuously revolving, and the Goa-based club has tied down the celebrated head coach for a period of two seasons to ensure some continuity within the club.
The club’s director of football, Ravi Puskur, is extremely delighted to welcome the ISL winner to the club and hailed his work at Hyderabad over the course of the last three seasons.
He said,
“We’re delighted to welcome Manolo and his backroom staff to FC Goa. We’ve admired his work over the years in India, and beyond the obvious success he’s had on the field, it’s been his ability to make the team a greater sum of its parts convinced us to pursue him to take the role at FC Goa.”
Puskur continued,
“The camaraderie and champion mentality that he instilled in the Hyderabad dressing room is something we hope he can develop here. We have no doubt that Manolo along with his backroom staff will instil that mentality here and we look forward to him taking charge of the team.”
Having spent multiple years in coaching across the Spanish Segunda B Division, Tercara Division, the Croatian top flight, and the Thai League 1, the Spaniard ended up in the ISL with Hyderabad after the NIzams had to let go of Alberto Roca as the former Bengaluru head coach was asked to join the elite coaching team at Barcelona.
Since then, the Nizams have looked assured in defense and have transformed their attacking play as well ending fifth, second, and second in the last three ISL seasons eventually winning the 2021-22 ISL title under Bartholomew Ogbeche’s captaincy.
Marquez is also delighted to take on a new role in the Indian top division and talked about the competition getting even tougher as the league will expand to become a 12-team competition from the onset of the upcoming league season.
The head coach said,
“We are very satisfied to sign with FC Goa, one of the best teams in the country. We’ve already been in the ISL for three years now and it’s a very important aspect to have knowledge of the competition and all the players that compete in the league. I’m confident we’ll have a good, competitive squad this year and we hope that the fans of Goa will enjoy watching their team in Fatorda.”
Mr. Marquez concluded, “ISL 10 will be a highly competitive season as the teams have gotten stronger with each passing season but we are confident that FC Goa will be in the fight for the higher positions.”
The squad will undergo a major under haul as several key players like Udanta Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, and Akash Mishra linked with the club over the past few weeks.
