Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez was delighted after winning four games out of five in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022–23, as his side came out victorious at home against Odisha FC at the G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.

Marquez applauded his side's winning performances on the pitch while also appreciating Odisha FC as an equally challenging opponent with their offensive style of football. 

The head coach spoke about the absence of Bartholomew Ogbeche in the starting XI, his views on tonight's win, and a lot more as he attended the official post-match press conference. 

Here are the excerpts from his press conference:

Your third successive win at home and fourth in a row in the Hero ISL. What are your thoughts on the game and the result?

We win every game by a small margin of 1-0, which takes me close to a heart attack. All the games were different, with new and different qualities in each opponent. Odisha FC played very good football tonight, and they had a clear style of offensive football.

However, we defended after scoring and created chances to score the second goal while they had some chances as well. I consider the result to be fair, and we deserve the three points even though we played against a team that likes to keep the ball and possession. We played with a lot of confidence and took advantage of the moments.

Your team is creating as well as missing a lot of chances. Do you think this will affect the side in the upcoming matches?

Every game we play in this league is against different types of opponents who have different styles and experiences.

In the previous week, we won the match, but I was not completely convinced with our performance against FC Goa. Tonight, had we scored the second goal, the team would have been calmer on the ball. We can say that luck was on our side since we are winning by scoring only one goal in the last few matches.

The upcoming game is against Jamshedpur FC; people will consider us the favorites, but I think it will be a very tough game. We have to play by our character and keep going forward without thinking much about how the goals keep coming until and unless we get all three points.

Hyderabad FC have won 13 points from five matches. Have you set any targets for the season with respect to achievable points?

I always tell the boys that we have to play every game as it comes. You can win, lose, or draw against any team, no matter how well you prepare. The character of a team is known when you lose a game, and if you keep winning, it might create some problems. The players are then very confident, and issues arise when the coach wants to dictate some instructions. When you lose, the important day is the next day, because you see how the last season was. After every defeat, the team reacted with a win.

Was there any particular reason why Barthomolew Ogbeche did not start the game?

There are two reasons. One is that Javier Siverio had a fantastic outing against FC Goa and he even scored the goal. The other reason was because I knew Odisha FC played with a 4-3-3. We needed a player like Borja Herrera who can control the ball in the midfield, and that was more or less the plan. The whole league knows how well Bart Ogbeche plays, and when he entered the pitch, he was spot on. But with the players that Odisha FC have, we knew that we needed that extra man in the middle of the park tonight.

Four wins in five games now. How do you keep the players grounded, especially since you have another game in four days?

It is difficult, but we have another game in four days. We know playing Jamshedpur FC away from home is not easy. It will be a very tough game. I have been with this team for a long time now, and the people that know us do know how humble this team is, and this is the key and strength of the group. We are together in this, and before the kickoff tonight, this is exactly what we spoke about, and this is the reason why we are performing like we are so far, winning games after games by sticking together.

Would you like to say a few words for the fans?

They are always fantastic. If you want to grow in this sport, then the team has to keep winning; it is the only way. But the game grows more exciting with fans cheering for you no matter the result, and I am very grateful to have such an amazing set of fans.

Related tags:

Hyderabad FC2022-2023 Match 23,Hyderabad FC vs Odisha FC