ISL: "I told them to show a strong mentality and get a third goal," says Hyderabad FC's Manolo Marquez

Hyderabad FC extended their winning momentum with a 5-1 humbling of North East United in their recent Indian Super League clash. The Nizams have been in great form this season and the off-colour Highlanders were no match against them. Bartholomew Ogbeche bagged a brace against his former side whereas Chinglensana Singh, Aniket Jadhav and Javi Siverio also registered their name in the scoresheet. Laldanmawia Ralte's first-half strike for NorthEast United remained as a mere consolation for Khalid Jamil's men.

Manolo Marquez was delighted with his team's performance though he felt that the scoreline was a bit of an aberration. He then also shared his opinions on the playoffs race.

On the superior performance

The Spanish tactician shared how he felt that Hyderabad FC were a better team barring the few minutes when they conceded the goal. However, he was brave enough to admit that 5-1 was probably not a fair outcome for his men.

"We scored 2-3 goals in the last 15 minutes so I think we deserve to win. I don't know if 5-1 is a fair score. But of course other than the minutes when we conceded the goal, I think the team played a very good game," Manolo began at the post-match press conference.

On his team

Then the Spanish tactician delved into the foreigners and their quality in his team. He highlighted how most of the foreigners have won the ISL and have a huge amount of experience. Marquez feels that the young Indians and experienced foreigners is the recipe for success in the ISL.

"You are speaking about two champions of ISL. I think they are very important players for us. If we are speaking about foreigners then Javi Siverio has been pretty good. He entered today and scored a goal. We know the quality of Joao (Victor) and Joel (Chianese). Also, Juanan is another foreigner who has won the ISL. So I think we have very good foreigners with experience. It is a mix of young Indian guys and experienced foreigners, " added the Hyderabad FC boss.

On the playoffs race

Speaking on the playoffs race and the competition overall, Marquez completely dismissed the fact that the Nizams are second in the points table behind leaders Mumbai City. He in fact pointed out how each team in the league can beat the other making it very unpredictable. He asserted, "It is only five games, we have to play 15 more at least in the regular season. Let us see what happens. I always tell that you cannot decide the playoffs right now. NorthEast (United) were with only three foreigners and 5-1 scoreline is not normal in this ISL. I think every team can beat the other."

On his second half pep talk

Lastly, the Spanish tactician revealed what he told his men at the break when they only led the Highlanders by 2-1. He always emphasises the point that how a slender lead is dangerous and can be equalised in no time.

"Nothing special. I told them to show a strong mentality and continue to look for the third goal. When you are winning by a difference of one goal like the other day against Bengaluru, they can equalise at any moment. So I told them to look for the third goal," Marquez concluded.