Marquez, who will coach both the Indian team and FC Goa in his first season, and then transition full-time to the national setup, was brought in due to his success in developing Indian players at the Indian Super League level. (AIFF)
Manolo Marquez would be the first to say that his debut as manager of the Indian national football team could have come under better circumstances. Just two training sessions with his 26-man squad before his first selected 11 take the pitch at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad is not an ideal situation.
The two games against Mauritius and Syria start a tricky climb for India – these matches will be the first of a series of friendlies until March 2025 – when the team will attempt to make it to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. In an alternate universe, this period should have seen India’s first foray into the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, but two abysmal results against Afghanistan led to former coach Igor Stimac’s ouster and a fresh start under Marquez, who doubles up as Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa’s coach as well as the India boss.
“The first FIFA window now is a little tricky because we are still in pre-season. Some clubs played with their reserve teams in the Durand Cup. We don’t exactly know the physical situation of all the players. That won’t happen in the next FIFA windows because the ISL will be ongoing. But again, I think this is not an excuse. We are ready for tomorrow,” the Spaniard said.
“In two training sessions, it’s difficult to change a lot of things. We have players from seven or eight different teams. It’s difficult because every team plays a different style. But finally, we will enter the pitch with 11 players and try to play a good game.”
Tough road ahead
The 55-year-old finds himself in an unenviable position. The national team coach’s reach in terms of improving players is quite restricted, due to the inadequate time they get to spend with the players. In that sense, not much will change for Marquez, from what was the situation for Stimac. Both had to contend with a set of professionals who are not near Asian standards when it comes to physicality, the speed with which they pass, and their tactical acumen. The Indian team that played at the AFC Asian Cup at the start of the year, and the one that lost at home to Afghanistan, were out of their depth in matches that actually mattered.
In a country that has idolised IM Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia and the recently-retired Sunil Chhetri, finding someone to take on the mantle of goalscorer has been tough. (Express photo)
How much Marquez can work on that aspect of Indian football is questionable. There is an argument to be made that as an ISL coach, he continues to have a better chance of developing Indian players, as opposed to being in a position that allows the coach to do so only for a couple of months a year, as would have been the case if he were the full-time India handler.
Marquez will also have the task of finding the next Indian striker. In a country that has idolised IM Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia and the recently-retired Sunil Chhetri, finding someone to take on the mantle of goalscorer has been tough. The problem once again trickles down to the top league in India that rarely allows local players to play in crucial positions – be it striker, central midfielder or central defenders. Finding young Indian players enough game time in the league has been a major failing that has directly resulted in the already poor standards of the national team going down further.
In a previous media interaction, Marquez had indicated that India’s lack of goals could be addressed by creating a team that scores goals, rather than finding an individual striker who may or may not live up to the position. In that sense, these two games give India a chance to start building towards a style of play that can coexist with their domestic circumstances.
Marquez already seems prepared for the inevitability of an undercooked squad. In his press conference ahead of the game against Mauritius, he admitted that the true reflection of the team won’t emerge from these two games.
“Whatever result we get, it won’t be the real situation of the national team,” said Marquez, ahead of a game against an opponent ranked 179th in the world. Mauritius and India last faced each other in 2017 in the same friendly tournament where the home team won 2-1.
Intercontinental Cup fixtures (all matches will kick off at 7.30 pm):
September 3: India vs Mauritius (Sports 18 3 & Jio Cinema)
September 6: Syria vs Mauritius (Jio Cinema)
September 9: India vs Syria (Sports 18 3 & Jio Cinema)
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