India’s new football coach Manolo Marquez | Photo credit: The Hindu
Newly appointed national football coach Manolo Marquez acknowledged that the team faces big challenges but hopes to improve both standards and rankings during his three-year term, which begins next week.
Speaking to the media for the first time on Sunday (August 11, 2024) in New Delhi, Spaniard Marquez, who was named as Igor Stimac’s replacement last month, was honest in his assessment that Indian players are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone and are not mentally strong enough.
“The level of Indian players is better than it was five years ago. But it can get better and improve faster. I feel that Indian players are very comfortable. Life in the ISL is very good for them and it is difficult for them to go abroad. You grow when you play abroad. I am not talking about the top division, the Premier League or LaLiga. But when you go abroad and play against opponents who are better than you, you get better,” he said frankly.
Only a handful of Indians have ever signed for a foreign club – Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri are among them. Unsurprisingly, they have been the best players in the national team in recent years. Marquez also explained that the Indian players need to become mentally stronger.
“We need to improve in this area, they need to become mentally stronger. Technique, tactics and fitness are important, but if the mind isn’t working, you can’t do anything. If you’re 2-0 down in the 20th minute, you have 70 minutes to turn the game around. And that’s possible. If the mentality is right, we’ll get good results,” Marquez shrugged.
He also stressed the importance of being professional more than once and did not let doubts about conflict of interest bother him in his role as head coach of Indian Super League club FC Goa. “It is not the first time and it will not be the last. It is not common but there are big names like Guus Hiddink, Renus Michels and others who have coached a club and a national team. It is ultimately about professionalism. We will work very hard for the national team,” he said.
Although he was happy to get the chance to coach a national team, Marquez also agreed that the key to long-term success is to hire Indian coaches. “One goal for the national team should be to have an Indian coach. I can speak very well about India, but an Indian coach will know better how the country works and what the people are like in every part of India,” he stressed.
