FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez feels confident ahead of two crunch matches for FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) starting with the visit of Mumbai City FC on Tuesday.
The Gaurs are unbeaten in the ISL this season winning six out of the seven matches played which has seen them sit at the top of the points table.
But their credentials will be tested when the Islanders, also unbeaten this season, come calling.
“The feeling is that in the next two matches (Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant) we will see where FC Goa can finish this season,” Marquez said at the pre-match press conference as quoted by ISL.
“I am optimistic about our situation. But now we play the teams still unbeaten in the league. It is impossible not to lose a match but we will try that the first defeat won’t be on Wednesday,” he added.
The Spaniard felt that the Islanders have hit their stride in the last two matches after a slightly tentative start to the season and his team will have to be on top of their game on Wednesday.
“I feel now they have found their style of play. I felt they were doubting (themselves) in the beginning of the league. Now in the last two games, in the Champions League and in Bengaluru, they changed the system and I feel that they have found the style of play for the players that they have,” Marquez noted.
“Before the Bengaluru FC game, they won all the games just by a one-goal margin but in the last game and also in the Champions League when they lost, they played very well. In this new system, their players have more freedom on the pitch and they are all good players,” he added.
FC Goa are the best defensive team in the league with just three goals conceded so far, but Marquez feels his side is capable of scoring many goals while retaining their defensive stability.
“If you check the numbers we may seem a defensive team as we are winning 1-0. If you watch the games then you’ll know that we have missed some clear chances,” he said.
The Spaniard is looking forward to a great atmosphere at the Fatords against Mumbai City FC and feels the team need to make use of the advantage.
“In football, the team has to give something to the fans. I feel the atmosphere in the last match was very nice. If they can continue then it would be fantastic. When we play at home the team is more comfortable,” he said.
Midfielder Raynier Fernandes accompanied Marquez in the pre-match press conference and revealed the secret to FC Goa’s excellent start to the season.
“The most important thing for us is the training sessions. The mentality, the plan what the management and the coaching staff set for the players is really good for the team and the players are doing well. The coaching mentality is to always win and we are like a family,” the midfielder said at the pre-match press conference.
Looking ahead to the game against his former team Mumbai City FC, Fernandes suggested that they are focusing on their own game.
“The game is about us. The more we do what we have planned for, we will get the result that we want. Our results so far give us the confidence to go in our next game and the games in the future. We have to look at every game as a new task. We have to take one game at a time and that’s how we will get results,” he concluded.
