ISL 2022-23: We are a team that is more mature now – Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez

Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez stated that they are a team that is more mature in their play in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League. After a 0-0 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan in the first-leg semifinal, the Nizams will once again take on the Mariners in the second leg at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Monday.

Hyderabad FC has surely grown in confidence after their consistent performances in the league stage and they will look to seal their final berth against Bengaluru FC.

Meanwhile, both Hyderabad FC and ATK Mohun Bagan had won against one another by 1-0 in the league stage and it is expected to be a nail-biting contest. In fact, Hyderabad FC had beaten the Mariners by 3-1 (3-2 on aggregate) in the first-leg semifinal in the previous season.

“The mood in the camp is very good. It’s only three training sessions between both games. It’s like a game in a bubble. We don’t have too much time, it’s more about the recovery session and preparing for the game again,” Marquez said in the pre-match press conference.

The Spaniard feels his team was in control of the game in the first leg and they will be looking to come up with a collective show on Monday. Marquez also admitted that ATK Mohun Bagan is a confident unit while playing at home.

“They came (to Hyderabad) only with the idea of not losing the game and it is true that they have clear chances, two very clear chances but (we had) the control of the game. ATK Mohun Bagan is more different when they play at home and away even with this game. They have played six consecutive games without scoring a goal away from Kolkata,” he said.

“But when they play in Kolkata they are like, comfortable and they are more confident. We know it will be a very difficult game, but as usual, we will have our chances for sure. We are a very good team whether we play at home or away because we don’t change the style of the team too much,” the HFC head coach added.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad FC won the ISL trophy in the previous season and they have the experience of playing big matches as players are more mature.

“We have the experience of the last season. We are a team that is more mature now. In this kind of game, for example, when we played against ATK Mohun Bagan in the second leg of last season, some players were scared. But now the team is playing with a lot of personality because we have to remember that we lost very important players during this season but the team is competing and winning most of the games with (many different players). We are very satisfied. We will have our chances and they will also have their chances. Already this season is very, very good for us. But of course we want more. We will try 100% to win the game,” the Spaniard said.