Kamal Ghorui
Panaji: Despite the obvious handicap of having just two foreign players in the squad, coach Manolo Marquez is enjoying his time with FC Goa in this season’s Indian Super League (ISL).Maybe there’s less pressure. The Super Cup winners have already qualified for next season’s continental competition, so there’s little at stake. The reward for winning ISL is also a spot in the AFC Champions League Two, Asian football’s second-tier club competition. But that’s not what puts a smile on Manolo’s face these days. By his own admission, it’s the group.
“Even if we lost all seven games until the end of season, I will say the same: this group is top,” the Goa coach said during the pre-match media interaction. “You wake up every morning, and you know that you will enjoy the training session. In terms of attitude, these guys are top; they are more friends than teammates.”Goa are among the two unbeaten teams in the competition. They are sixth with ten points from six matches. Manolo has said “people don’t really understand how difficult it is to play with (just) two foreigners,” but four draws, particularly against three teams who are lower ranked, should make him think.“I think we played better in the beginning than in the last two games (against Punjab and Chennaiyin, both draws),” said Manolo.Goa have registered three draws in a row and will now be keen to start winning. They play their next three games at home, starting with the high-profile clash against Bengaluru FC at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday.“We are speaking of a top team, one that consistently has the maximum foreign players in the national team, along with Mohun Bagan. They can qualify for AFC Champions League,” said Manolo, whose side, interestingly, kickstarted their winning run last season with a 3-0 win at Fatorda.Bengaluru picked up seven points from their last three games but that wasn’t enough for Renedy Singh to hold on to his position as chief coach. The club has appointed Pep Munoz for the rest of the season.The Spanish coach was part of the youth system at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.“I know Pep Munoz, a top coach, who did really well in Cambodia and China. On the other end, everyone speaks of providing chances to Indian coaches. It is difficult to do better than Renedy. I don’t know if he’s sacked, he will leave, remain on the bench because the coach is still not here. Whoever is in charge, our approach won’t change. We have to focus on ourselves because in the last two games, maybe we focused on the opponent than our own performance,” said Manolo.Munoz is yet to arrive in India, so it will be Renedy who will take charge of the team.“Goa got a good coach and a good setup. They haven’t lost a game so far, but if we look at our matches against Inter Kashi, Mohammedan, and Mohun Bagan, we have had a good run and must capitalise on the strengths. This will be my last game in charge, but I am sure that when Pep comes in, he will implement his own ideas, and the players will adapt,” said Renedy.
