India’s newly-appointed football team coach Manolo Márquez on Thursday said it was his passion for the game that pushed him to take up the challenging job.
The 55-year-old Spaniard is currently also the manager of Indian Super League side FC Goa and will be shouldering the dual responsibility until the commencement of the next season.
“It is difficult, of course, but India has become like my second country as I’ve spent four years here, something that I have never done before.
“I think I know most of the important players in the ISL and the I-League, and I have signed a player from the Santosh Trophy as well when I was with Hyderabad. I know the traditions and I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Marquez told the All India Football Federation.
Márquez has been working in India since 2020, guiding Hyderabad FC to their maiden ISL title triumph during the 2021-122 season.
When asked how things have changed in Indian football, he was all praise for the players but felt there is a lot of scope for improvement.
“I can generally say that there has been a lot of improvement in the Indian players, though my feeling is that India can improve a thousand times more,” he said.
“But I’d also say that there are plenty of challenges in that regard. India is like 20 countries put together. There are a lot of states where there’s not much interest in football, and then there are others that are extremely passionate about the sport.
“Perhaps, it would be better to concentrate on the few states where football is more popular initially and then grow further from there.”
While handling both the ISL franchise and the national team at the same time would not be an easy task, he asserted that “being professional” is all it takes to make it work smoothly.
“It’s all about being professional. It’s not the first time that someone’s done it, and it certainly won’t be the last. It’s all about managing the time, and that should not be a problem for me,” he said.
“When there is a break in the ISL, I will be with the national team. It’s a big challenge, but I’m passionate about it.”
Speaking further on the challenges of managing a club and a national side, Marquez added, “The biggest difference with the national team is that you don’t have foreign players in the team.
“It’s certainly a challenge, but I love it. I feel we will achieve important things in the next few seasons.”
The Spaniard’s maiden assignment with the Blue Tigers will be in September, during the Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad, with fixtures against Syria and Mauritius lined up.
When asked about the approach he would take with the Indian side, Marquez said, “The reality of the situation is that we have three international windows to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers (Round 3), which begins in March.
“We need to make sure that we get good results in the three upcoming FIFA windows this year (September, October, and November), and get Pot 1 for the draws of the qualifiers for the Asian Cup.
“I think September will be a little different because the ISL season will not have started yet once we begin the international window. We will have a clearer picture before the October FIFA window, as the clubs will have played a few ISL games by then.”
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