HYDERABAD
The competition this time around in the Indian Super League will be tougher than the last time around, Manolo Marquez, head coach of defending champion Hyderabad FC said.
“The continuity in the composition of our team is a huge advantage for us,” he said.
Speaking to the media ahead of the team’s match against Bengaluru FC at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on October 22, Marquez said that after the first two rounds in the ISL, the teams seemed to be more equal than last year.
“It is good that we won the second match against North-East United after a draw against Mumbai FC in the opener. We played a better game against NEUFC with the defence being really good and hope to keep the momentum going,” Marquez added.
“We have been waiting to play in front of our home crowd after the pandemic and importantly, want to score full points against BFC. It would be fantastic. It should be a very good game against BFC as they have a very strong line of attack, backed by solid defence, and we need to play well to score goals.”
Scoring goals
Last season’s Golden Boot winner Bartholomew Ogbeche said his primary objective would be to score goals and help the team win.
“I don’t chase any awards. If I happen to be the top-scorer again and the team wins the trophy again, that should be great. We love to play consistently well through the edition, go back to the boardroom and reflect if something is not going well so as to come up with improved performance,” Ogbeche said.
Captain and midfielder Joao Victor reasserted that there would be no pressure on being the title-holder.
Chinglensana Singh said it was a great experience to be with the HFC and hoped the team would finish this season on a high.