Panaji: Three days after that spectacular, and unbelievable, stoppage-time collapse against Mumbai City at home,
Manolo Marquez
was asked if he saw the game any differently.
He didn’t.
“My feeling now is the same what I had when we finished the game,” the FC Goa coach said during the pre-match media interaction. “We played a very good game (till Mumbai scored).
Football involves physical, tactical and technical aspects, but mind is the most important. We can concede one goal, that’s normal and happens in football, but the match should end 2-1 and we go to Mumbai with a 2-1 advantage.”
Goa, instead, are travelling to Mumbai for the second-leg with a disadvantage, after incredibly conceding three goals in the last six minutes of stoppage time. They are down 2-3 and will have to overturn the deficit in the second leg semifinal on Monday.
Goa’s vulnerability when pushed into a corner isn’t new, like games against
Kerala Blasters
(2-4), Punjab (3-3) and the loss against Odisha (2-3) in the Super Cup suggests.
“It’s not our first time. The mood was still bad in training. Players and staff couldn’t sleep. But when the second-leg is played on Monday, we will be ready for Mumbai. We will try to win, to turnaround the situation, and we have the ability to do it,” said the experienced Spanish coach who won the
ISL
Trophy with Hyderabad FC in 2022.
For Goa to make it to Saturday’s final against Mohun Bagan, they will have to win by two or more goals. A solitary goal win will take the match into penalties. There’s no other way, no second chance, and it won’t be easy judging from past results: Goa, after all, are winless against Mumbai in 11 matches, going back to 2020.
Goa, Manolo said, will need strong leadership on the field.
“I am from Barcelona and I love Carles Puyol, why? Carles Puyol, with the ball, was 1000 times worse than Brandon. Yes. But, when his team conceded one goal, this is the moment that you need to show leadership (like Puyol did),” he said.
Manolo’s tactical plan in the first leg was perfect as he stifled Mumbai and did enough to score twice till the 90th minute. He’s unlikely to make sweeping changes, but admitted that he might “need to risk” at some stage, if the score is not in their favour. “We need to win and we all know it will be a long game,” he said.
The experienced Spanish coach’s arrival at Goa has seen the team make it to the playoffs for the first time in three years. The former champions chased the Shield till the penultimate round as well. But for Manolo, that’s not how success is measured.
“We are in the playoffs, but we need to be ambitious. In my opinion, Mohun Bagan and Mumbai are like Real (Madrid) and Barcelona in my country. It’s difficult to be above them. But you need to be ambitious. I think the season is okay for us in terms of points. We had the same points as Mumbai and three less than Bagan which means we were fighting till the end.
“The playoffs are completely different than the regular season. The other day (when Goa lost against Mumbai) was a clear example. You can play very well, but in six minutes, we killed ourselves. But this isn’t like the (knockout) game against Chennaiyin. There is a second leg and we have to fight, to try and qualify, because we know we can do it. We also know we are up against a strong opponent,” said Manolo.
English (US) ·