PANAJI
According to FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez, Goan players have good technique but that’s not enough in modern football.
“In modern football, only to be good with the ball is not enough. The physical condition is very important. You have to be physically very strong. Also, you need to be mentally very strong and sharp,” FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez told The Goan.
Manolo further added, “Goan players technically are the best players in the country. If you see the Goa Pro League games, most of the players play from the back but you need something more. You need to be strong in the duals. i.e. fight with the opponents directly in order to win matches.”
“Only with technique, in modern football is not enough unless and until you are Messi. Only Messai need not run, other players in the world need to run,” Manolo said.
According to Manolo, if you understand the game properly, you are a talented player.
“Talent means to understand the game. Talent does not mean just to shoot the ball, pass the ball from one player to another. Talent does not mean just good shot or good long passes.,” Manolo said.
FC Goa recently made it to the finals of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), an under-21 tournament for the best teams in the country.
“The youngsters are doing well with the development squad. Some of the players in the development side have made it to the senior side of FC Goa. I have trained the B-team, have worked a lot of years in the academy. To see the players arrive at the top level gives me the most satisfaction. But, in order to improve further they need to go abroad for better training.” FC Goa coach said.
“The level of Prachit (Gaonkar) is now is much better than it was one year ago,” the coach said. Prachit was in the junior team earlier and then moved to the senior team last season and later played in the ISL.
“If FC Goa continues to work at the grassroots, in the academy, you will see a lot many Goan players in the senior team very soon,” said Manolo.
But Manolo feels there are lot of areas for improvement.
“As a club, you need to have a good structure. FC Goa has a good organisation, but does not have good facilities. For me, all the teams from junior to senior should train on the same pitch. The B-Team should train with the same facilities as that of the main team. Then the understanding will be easy and better. Most of the development team trains at Guirim. The facilities over there are not good enough. The dressing room is not very good, there is no gym, the facilities are not up to the mark.”
The coach further added, “Bengaluru FC has the best facilities in the country to develop the players at the grass-root level. Hence, BFC is the best in terms of players arriving into ISL.”
“Apart from facilities, there are other factors involved in developing a good player. You need to go abroad and train with better players, even if it means training for just two-three months in a second division club either in Belgium or France or Spain. To go abroad for training is very important for me.”
“When you play or train with players who have more level than you, you will improve tremendously,” said Manolo.
