ISL 2023-24 Semifinal: FC Goa hopes to continue dream run under Spanish wizard Manolo Marquez

Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) finalist and the 2019-20 Shield winner FC Goa fell into a trough after the mid-season departure of head coach Juan Ferrando in 2021, finishing seventh and ninth in the last two seasons.

The club brought in Manolo Marquez, who won the ISL with Hyderabad FC, as its head coach to turn its fortunes. And Goa’s performances has improved remarkably since.

The Gaurs finished the league stage third, three points (45) behind Shield winner Mohun Bagan Super Giant and is playing Mumbai City FC for a spot in the final.

Manolo, however, is not done yet.

“We need to be ambitious. In my opinion, Mumbai City and Mohun Bagan SG are like Real Madrid and Barcelona in my country. It is difficult to be above them, but you need to be ambitious,” he told Sportstar.

Goa trails Mumbai City FC 2-3 after the first leg and will look to reverse the deficit when it visits Mumbai on April 29.

“It is not over. If we win or lose, it won’t be because of the first game,” Manolo said.

Manolo’s reinforcements

Manolo made 17 signings after arriving in Goa including star centre-back Sandesh Jinghan who conceded five goals in his 10 games before his season ended due to an injury and Spanish forward Carlos Martinez, the joint-leading top scorer (10) in the league phase.

The centre-back pairing of Odei Onaindia and Nim Dorjee Tamang followed him from Hyderabad FC. So did trusted youngster Mohammad Yasir on loan.

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Another great find for FC Goa this season has been Jay Gupta, the explosive full-back whose defensive capability is reflected in his stats. He has made 19 interceptions and won 34 tackles, which is the highest by a Goa player this season. His ability to win the ball and launch attacks from the back makes him a solid modern-day defender.

He has two goals and two assists to his name and has played 47 crosses in his 22 appearances.

Other notable transfers include Carl McHugh, Victor Rodriguez and Boris Singh who have transformed the Goa side into a potential title contender.

McHugh is filling in the defensive midfielder position and has scored one goal and provided three assists this season. The Irish player has won 21 interceptions and 22 tackles making him a strong wall ahead of the backline and has made 34 attempts up-front acting as a crucial box-to-box player in the middle of the park.

Attacking midfielder Victor Rodriguez had three goals and assists to his name in nine appearances before he too got injured.

Lastly, Boris Singh, who scored a crucial goal in the first leg of the semifinal, has been a positive addition on the wing. The youngster wins the ball up-front since he has won 15 tackles and has drawn 22 fouls in the league stage.

Tactical analysis of Manolo Marquez’s FC Goa side

In the previous season, FC Goa had a percentile of 83.3 percent in terms of possession compared to the other teams. However, it faced trouble penetrating the box and taking chances on goal.

Manolo, like other Spanish coaches, made his side play possession-based football but made tweaks to suit his set of players.

Instead of playing deep in the final third, FC Goa now plays it early in the box, in a bid to find its poacher, Martinez or star-winger Noah Sadaoui on the far post. This is why FC Goa has taken the second-most shots on target in the league (130) just two behind leader Mohun Bagan SG (132).

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FC Goa scored 36 goals last season, just three behind its tally this season. However, it leaked 35 into its net, the fourth highest in the 2022-23 season. On the other hand, under Manolo, FC Goa has the second-best defensive record this season, having conceded only 21 goals in the league stage.

Statistically, FC Goa had a GA/90 (goals against per 90) of 1.75 last season which is way higher compared to this season’s 1.05. This is because Manolo changed how his side plays after winning the ball.

Manolo continued with the same 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 combinations and didn’t change much in the team’s style of play off-the-ball.

However, the Spaniard ensured that FC Goa won possession high up the field and kept the ball away from its half to avoid conceding through counter-attacks, which had been a major weakness of its backline.

FC Goa faces Mumbai City FC away from home in the ISL 2023-24 semifinal and will look to turn the tables in the second leg so that Manolo can continue his dream run with the Gaurs.