Manolo Marquez’s time at Hyderabad FC had a far from a perfect ending as he was sent off to the stands as his side suffered defeat at the hands of ATK Mohun Bagan on penalties in the Hero Club Playoffs which offered a ticket to the preliminary round of the AFC Cup 2023-24. 

A place in Asia would have been the perfect parting gift from Marquez to Hyderabad FC but sometimes not every story has a fairytale ending. However, the Spaniard’s time with the Yellow and Blacks has been nothing short of one. 

Marquez will always be remebered as the man to lead Hyderabad FC to their first-ever Hero Indian Super League (ISL) title, but his work at the club in his three years has been a lot deeper than that. 

The 54-year-old inherited a team which was miles off the one he leaves behind. When he joined Hyderabad FC, just a few months before the start of Hero ISL 2020-21, as a fairly last-minute appointment after the departure of Albert Roca to FC Barcelona. 

Marquez had a huge rebuilding job on his hands in a relatively short period of time after Hyderabad FC had finished bottom of the table the season before, winning just two matches and finishing with ten points on board which remains the joint third-lowest points tally in the history of the league. 

Fast forward three seasons, Marquez has established Hyderabad FC as one of the most consistent teams in the league capable of challenging for the top prizes. 

From his first season to the last, Hyderabad FC made continuous progress and will be regarded as one of the best-ever teams to play in the Hero ISL. 

Season

Matches

Wins

Draws

Losses

Points in league stage

Final League Position

Season Outcome

2020-21

20

6

11

3

29

5th

5th

2021-22

23

12

6

5

38

2nd

Hero ISL champions

2022-23

22

12

5

4

42

2nd

Semi-finalists

Total

65

31

22

12

Overall

Win%

47.69

As is evident from the table above that Hyderabad FC improved every season on under the Spaniard. They recorded more wins and points every year under his tutelage. He lost just 12 matches across the three seasons which is a remarkable achievement considering the team he inherited had lost 12 matches in a single season. 

Such a transformation was down to the Spaniard’s ability to extract maximum from his players and also improve young players. It must also be noted Hyderabad FC lost the likes of Liston Colaco and Asish Rai to direct rivals during this period. 

Marquez, though, also made some shrewd signings, bringing in the likes of Bartholomew Ogbeche, Joao Victor, Joel Chianese, Borja Herrera, Javier Siverio, and Odei Onaindi who formed the backbone of the team. 

The performances of young Indian players like Akash Mishra, Hitesh Sharma, Mohammad Yasir, and Halicharan Narzary were also notable. 

From a team that struggled to win matches and lost two-thirds of games in a season, Marquez took Hyderabad FC to the top in almost all key metrics. 

In the period that the Spaniard was in-charge, Hyderabad FC conceded fewer goals (60) and suffered fewer defeats (13) among any other team in the league. 

In terms of points accumulated, Hyderabad FC were only behind ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC by a very small margin, while they were the second-best team behind the Islanders in terms of goals scored in this period. 

The Yellow and Blacks kept the joint-most clean sheets (23) in the league in the period that Marquez was at the helm and were only behind Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan for total wins recorded. 

So, Marquez will leave behind an efficient and consistent outfit that is very difficult to beat, a vast improvement from the team he had taken over.

Metric

Hyderabad FC’s league rank in the metric (quantity)

Best in the category (quantity)

Wins

3rd (32)

Mumbai City FC & ATK Mohun Bagan (37)

Losses

1st (13)

Hyderabad FC (13)

Points

3rd (109)

Mumbai City FC (117)

Goals scored

2nd (110)

Mumbai City FC (131)

Goals conceded

1st (61)

Hyderabad FC (61)

Clean sheets 

=2nd (23)

ATK Mohun Bagan (28)

Please Note: This data is for the period Manolo Marquez was in-charge of Hyderabad FC i.e from 2020-21 to 2022-23.

In the process of this evolution, Marquez created a number of records for himself and his team. Here is the list of records that Hyderabad FC achieved under the 54-year-old. 

Season records

  • 7 goals conceded in away games in Hero ISL 2022-23 – best of any side in the season.
  • 16 goals conceded in Hero ISL 2022-23 – the fewest of any side in the season.
  • 47 goals scored in Hero ISL 2021-22 – the most of any side in Hero ISL 2021-22.

League records

  • Most points by a team that finished 2nd in the league (42 in 2022-23 Hero ISL)
  • 3rd highest points tally in a single Hero ISL season (42 – in 2022-23)
  • 12 clean sheets in Hero ISL 2022-23 – joint most by a side in any season of the Hero ISL (along with ATKMB in Hero ISL 2022-23).
  • 47 goals scored in Hero ISL 2021-22 – 3rd most by a club in any season of the Hero ISL (MCFC 56 in 2022-23 and FCG 51 in 2019-20)
  • 5 consecutive clean sheets in Hero ISL 2022-23 – joint longest run for consecutive clean sheets in Hero ISL history along with FC Goa (2018-19) and MCFC (2014)

Individual records

  • Led HFC to their first ever Hero ISL title.
  • One of the six Spanish managers to win the Hero ISL (along with Juan Ferrando, Antonio Habas, Carles Cuadrat, Sergio Lobera and Jose Molina)
  • Longest serving manager for Hyderabad FC in Hero ISL
  • Most games managed by a manager for a single club in Hero ISL history.

Related tags:

Hyderabad FC