FC Goa must match Mohammedan Sporting’s intensity: Manolo

Panaji: FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez has brushed off suggestions that his team isn’t motivated enough to compete for top honours in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season since they have already pocketed the biggest available prize, a place in next season’s AFC Champions League Two playoffs.
Goa qualified for continental championship after winning the Super Cup, defeating East Bengal on penalties at home. ISL champions were previously rewarded with a direct spot in Asian football’s second tier club competition. But with a truncated season spanning just 13 matches for each side, the winners will also have to settle for a playoff spot.
“Whether we have (full quota of six) foreigners or not, this team is FC Goa. We have a team that will be very competitive for all 13 games. Maybe we didn’t do well in the first half (against Inter Kashi in the opener) but we were competitive and secured a point,” Manolo said during the pre-match media interaction on Wednesday.
The Super Cup champions were disjointed and lethargic in the opening half against debutants Inter Kash but did well to settle for a draw with a late Dejan Drazic penalty. Asked if he was disappointed with the performance, particularly in the opening 45 minutes, Manolo said the 1-1 draw was a “fair score.”
“Inter Kashi, if they score first, will be very, very difficult to beat. They have very good organisation, ten players behind the ball, waiting to pounce on a mistake. To counter them, you need to be very good in attack because it’s not easy to surpass 10 players.
“We will have a good season for sure. I don’t know where we will finish, but the team will compete in every game. I demand a lot, and sometimes I am tough with them. But these are top guys. I love these players, they work hard in every training session,” said Manolo.
Goa’s next assignment is against Mohammedan Sporting Club, who will have an all-Indian lineup due to their transfer ban. Manolo, though, was impressed with their opener against Jamshedpur FC where they lost by a solitary goal.
“At least now, they are playing without much pressure. They played freely against Jamshedpur and that can be dangerous (for the opponents). We know Mohammedan will play with a lot of intensity, which we have to match. Maybe we have more quality, but if we want to win all points, we have to show our quality on the field.
“In the ISL, we face teams with different approaches. Fortunately, we won’t find a lot of teams like Inter Kashi, playing with a lot of order, aggressively, with good intensity. Now Mohammedan pose another challenge and (SC) Delhi have a different style. Then, East Bengal. This is a good test, because when players understand what they are up against, we are competitive and get good results,” said Manolo.