Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez was unhappy with his players after suffering back to back defeats in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23, as they fell short of three points against ATK Mohun Bagan at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, in Kolkata, on Saturday.

Marquez’s men fell early in the game to a Hugo Boumous goal, and failed to create chances in their second game running, which the coach highlighted as a main concern after a flying start to the new season. He also stated that he did not see motivation in his players and that he expects more from a team that performed well last season.

The Spaniard thought his side struggled as they were not hungrier than the opposition, and so he even gave credit to ATK Mohun Bagan for a well deserved victory.

The head coach spoke in the official post match press conference.

Here are the excerpts:

What are your thoughts on the game?

ATK Mohun Bagan deserved to win the game, and we did not do anything to win this game. That is the easiest summary of the game.

Where do you think the team lost tonight’s game?

Looking at the table, we are doing well, but this team is nothing compared to the one from last season with the same players. I am very unhappy with our performance. When you win, everything feels fantastic, but I have a lot of experience in this case and it was obvious that a day will come when we will lose. Let us see, we were champions last season, and there is one thing that is a coincidence, no team has won back to back titles in the Hero ISL. Maybe, now I know the answer to why no team has won back to back titles. In our case, my players do not seem hungry to repeat last year’s feat.

@adnan_hugo's first-half opener was enough to earn the Mariners all 3️⃣ points 💪💥#ATKMBHFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ATKMohunBagan #HyderabadFC pic.twitter.com/WMqrp7tcaA

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2022

Hyderabad FC have scored 10 goals in eight games. Why have they not been able to find the back of the net since the last two games?

We did not create many practical chances during the game. Even in the last game against Kerala Blasters FC, we created one or two chances, and tonight was the same. After we score goals, we play good football. I think the team is close to the phase where sometimes they need to change the coach or the players.

You seemed to have an argument with the opposition coach. Can you explain what happened there?

Juan Ferrando and I have known each other for a long time. We argue in every game, and nothing happened tonight. We have a good relationship, and I congratulated him and ATK Mohun Bagan in the end. They deserved to win the game. More or less, the personal level of the coaches in the Hero ISL is always higher.

How can you motivate the team to find their form again?

If you play football, you have to stay motivated. When I played football, my coach never motivated me, and if you are not motivated after being champions last season, then maybe you have to change the team or maybe you have to play another sport.

We need to find the same behaviour as last season, but now it seems a bit different after two defeats. When you win the games, Hyderabad FC is a fantastic team, but the reality is that we are not playing well. My father always taught me that without self criticism there can be no improvement. We will do it.