Manuel Marquez - 'Hyderabad FC have better Indians and foreigners compared to last season'

Spanish coach Manuel Marquez Roca took charge of Hyderabad FC after his predecessor Albert Roca opted to leave the club even before the season started to work as a fitness coach at FC Barcelona.

Roca, who had joined the club in January 2020, officially took charge after the season. He was re-building the squad and was preparing the team for their second season in the Indian Super League (ISL) before the offer from Barcelona came knocking on his door.

But The Nizams did not waste much time as they acted promptly and replaced Roca with his compatriot Manolo Marquez.

The newly appointed Hyderabad boss spoke about how football is growing in India and what made him come to ISL.

“Football in India is growing constantly. There are a lot of Spanish people working in several clubs, and we always discuss it. Hyderabad is a wonderful club. They want to grow and improve, and these kinds of projects are a great challenge for a coach. I feel lucky to be the head coach of Hyderabad FC this season,” Marquez told Goal.

Marquez mentioned that he had followed the club in their debut ISL season when they finished at the bottom of the league table.

But the Spaniard spoke highly about the work Roca and his assistant Xavier Gurri Lopez did during the offseason and also praised the quality additions they did to the team.

“We have a well-balanced team, with all kinds of players and some of them can play in different positions. This is important if you want to play in different ways even in the same game.

“There is more quality in Indian and foreign players compared to the last season. It is obvious because we have signed better Indian players along with some important local young players and the same with foreign players.

“But I don't like to distinguish between Indians and foreigners. One of the most important things in a team is to have a great group. I have watched Hyderabad FC’s games last season. Of course, I'm a professional and it is my responsibility to do it. The team improved when Albert (Roca) and Xavi Gurri arrived so I have respect for the previous work of course,” said the Spanish boss.

The former Las Palmas manager is expecting his team to be competitive and suggested that he is confident about making the Hyderabad FC proud at the end of the season.

“When you arrive at a new club you always wish for better things. I have to be prudent but we don’t renounce anything. The main goal is to arrive in the best shape to the first match of the Championship but we have to also try to improve in every training session.

"It's a short competition and in every game, I want to have a competitive team. I'm totally sure that all Hyderabad FC fans will be proud of their players at the end of the League and that’s our target,” the Hyderabad boss opined.