Now begins the Manolo Márquez era in the Indian national team. In the very same city where he began his journey in Indian football almost five years ago.
As India takes on Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup opener at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, it will be the start of a new chapter for the team. One which hopes to reset the ache of the past and get the Blue Tigers back on the prowl for bigger things.
“I am very excited. It’s special to play the first game here in Hyderabad. It feels like a new stadium now with the new facilities here,” said Márquez at the pre-match press conference on Monday. Defender Roshan Singh Naorem accompanied the coach at the press conference.
The Blue Tigers held their first training session on a rainy Sunday evening at the Hyderabad FC training ground. They will have one more session together on Monday before lacing up their boots for the Mauritius clash. However, for Márquez, there’s nothing to complain about.
“We’ll have only two training sessions before the first game. But I feel that when there’s a new coach and new staff, the predisposition is good. It’s about the attitude of the players and I’m convinced that will be very good. These are the fixtures and we can’t control them. It’s not about excuses. We can’t waste time with them. We trained yesterday, we’ll train today, and we’ll be ready for tomorrow,” said the Spaniard.
Márquez felt that he will be able to better judge the quality of his squad when the season is up and running. The Intercontinental Cup provides a great dress rehearsal for the bigger task awaiting India in the coming year, the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. For now, playing a good brand of football and preparing for the future has more importance than results.
“The main target of playing these games in September, October and November is to prepare for the more important thing – the Asian Cup qualifiers, the first game of which is in March.
“The first FIFA window now is a little tricky because we are still in pre-season. Some clubs played with their reserve team 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.
India’s opponents Mauritius are also in a similar situation, using the Intercontinental Cup as preparation for their competitive matches ahead. In their ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, they have picked up four points in as many matches, including a win over higher-ranked Eswatini in their previous outing in June. Before the qualifying games resume in March next year, Mauritius look to make the most of their preparatory match windows.
