June 11, Doha. A deft cut-in by Brandon Fernandes was followed by an opportunistic finish from Lallianzuala Chhangte. The Blue Tigers roared, which engulfed the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. The Qataris were stunned that the ‘Men in Blue’ had shown the audacity to not only take the game to their team but also find the net on their home soil. In the 37th minute of the 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifier, the finish line seemed close.
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A synoptic outline of what followed? Fate played a cruel hand, with Qatar’s Yousef Amen scoring the equaliser, despite the ball going out of play before leading up to the strike. India lost 2-1, the ‘[Igor] Stimac Out’ chants became increasingly strident leading to the Croat’s exit as head coach and a period of incessant blame game between Stimac and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) added salt to the wounds.
The World Cup dream faded into oblivion and Indian football was the victim of another typical ‘what if’ scenario.
Almost three months later, India will start afresh. At the helm is Manolo Marquez - a familiar face in Indian football, who decided to undertake a dual role.
The Spaniard decided to keep his job as head coach of FC Goa, along with taking the reins of the Indian national team. This decision too, divided the footballing fraternity into two factions - one spoke out against the move, citing a conflict of interest. The other seemed positive due to the Spaniard’s familiarity with the topography of Indian football.
Manolo Marquez decided to keep his job as head coach of FC Goa, along with taking the reins of the Indian national team. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media
With the Intercontinental Cup, the Blue Tigers enter into a new era and Manolo has the luxury of starting his journey with the national team in Hyderabad - the city where it all began for him after he joined Hyderabad FC in 2020 and guided it to the title in the 2021-22 season.
Facing a lower ranked in Mauritius (179th) and a higher-ranked Syria (93rd), Manolo has the perfect opportunity to test the waters and chalk out the areas of strength and weaknesses before he plunges into matches with higher stakes.
Rattling the net more often
Since India’s victorious 2023 SAFF Championship campaign, it has played 12 matches, including the AFC Asian Cup and the King’s Cup, scoring just seven goals in those games.
The Asian Cup was a highly-anticipated tournament for the Indians and the biggest challenge for then-manager Stimac. While going all the way was an unrealistic target, the Blue Tigers failed to find the net even once in their three Group B matches against Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. In those three combined, India registered seven shots on target without any effect.
After the Asian Cup disappointment, Stimac and his men faced their next crucial challenge in the second round of World Cup qualifiers.
Despite going down 3-0 against Qatar in their first second-round qualifier, the Blue Tigers responded well with a 1-0 win against Kuwait. India was expected to carry on the winning momentum in the following two matches against Afghanistan but ended up playing a goalless draw in the first and losing 2-1 in the next.
Dropping crucial points in the race for third-round qualification, India did not help its case by playing out a goalless draw against Kuwait in their return fixture. Ultimately, it failed to progress after losing 1-2 to Qatar in the final second-round qualifier.
The Blue Tigers have perpetually failed to impact big games by finding the net. Out of the 12 matches since the SAFF 2023 final, they have finished six without finding the net - an alarming statistic for a team trying to make its mark in Asian football and aiming for global recognition.
One of Manolo’s priorities would be to improve India’s efficiency in front of goal and develop a mentality to score in big games and pressure situations. Under his tutelage, FC Goa scored 39 goals last season in the Indian Super League - third highest behind table topper Mohun Bagan Super Giant and runner-up Mumbai City FC.
There is no doubt that playing attacking football is Manolo’s forte and making his players more lethal in front of goal will be the priority in the Spaniard’s agenda. The availability of Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Sahal Abdul Samad and Manvir Singh is tailored to suit his preferred shape of 4-2-3-1. With Manvir expected to play as the No.9, ample service should not be a concern for the latter, considering who his teammates are in the forward line.
Lallianzuala Chhangte, a proven big-game player, shined for Mumbai last season, creating 43 big chances for the Islanders and had 37 key passes in the final third. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media
Colaco will operate on the left. The 25-year-old created 17 chances last season for the Mariners, with 13 key passes. On the other flank, Chhangte, a proven big-game player, shined for Mumbai last season, creating 43 chances for the Islanders and had 37 key passes in the final third.
With Colaco and Chhangte having the luxury of pace too, Manvir will relish the opportunity to finish crosses from the flanks or be at the end of those line-breaking passes Colaco and Chhangte are so adept in. Like most ISL teams, Mohun Bagan Super Giants too, favour a foreigner in the No.9 role, which has pushed Manvir to the right side of the flank on most occasions, despite which he scored four goals and bagged seven assists.
However, with Sunil Chhetri retired and Rahim Ali’s dip in form, Manvir would believe he can be India’s next No. 9, given his excellent positional awareness and off-the-ball movement.
India’s forward line - chances created (ISL 2023-24)
And if Manvir is given a free role, he too has the eye for a brilliant final ball (37 chances created last season) and can not only score but also aid the scoring process. Add Sahal’s creative presence as the central-attacking midfielder, and Manolo has the chance to polish them into a functioning attacking engine.
India’s forward line - key passes (ISL 2023-24)
Stopping the leak
Conceding goals at crucial stages and succumbing from a winning position was synonymous with India, which preceded the Stimac era. What should excite Indian fans is that Manolo does not compromise defence for his attacking style of football. FC Goa conceded just 21 goals last season in the ISL - the second-best defensive record in the league, behind Mumbai, which conceded two fewer.
Maintaining a compact defence goes beyond the personal quality of a defender - communication and mental resolve are imperative, especially in high-pressure situations and transitional play. With defenders like Anwar Ali - a good ball-playing centre-back (79 per cent passing accuracy last season), Jay Gupta, Rahul Bheke, Chinglesana Singh, Nikhil Poojary and the experienced Subhasish Bose, Manolo has a good set of players to work with. And, with Gupta and Poojary’s attacking threat and Anwar’s ball-playing ability, the Spanish coach might crack the code of integrating the correct balance into the team.
Statistical compilation of India’s defenders (ISL 2023-24)
With Jeakson Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte and the seasoned Anirudh Thapa, Manolo already has experience in the middle of the park. His challenge would be to crack the combination and turn them into a unit.
At the end of the day, statistics are not absolute and the drawing board has its limitations. What Manolo has is the element of surprise, his tactical flexibility and astute man-management skills - all of which would come in handy as India coach. A new era brings positivity but all it takes is one bad day at the office. The first chapter has already been written. Over to the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad for the next act.
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