ISL 2019-20: Hyderabad FC appoint Albert Roca as new head coach; Spaniard replaces Phil Brown

Former Bengaluru FC head coach Albert Roca was today announced as the new head coach of ISL side Hyderabad FC, who had sacked Phil Brown earlier this week.

Hyderabad have only five points from 12 games this season and have conceded 29 goals in the process, in what has been a dire initiation to life in the ISL for the league's newest team.

Roca has been without a job since he resigned from Bengaluru after the end of the 2017-18 season when they were losing ISL finalists and winners of the Super Cup.

Roca was also thought to be the favourite to succeed Stephen Constantine as the head coach of the Indian National Team and made the final shortlist before Igor Stimac was chosen ahead of him for that role.

Under Roca, Bengaluru scaled some unbelievable heights in two seasons. They became the first-ever Indian club to reach an AFC Cup final after they beat then defending Johor Darul Ta'zim 3-1 in the second leg of the semifinal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. They eventually lost the final 1-0 to Iraq's Air Force Club.

Roca's Bengaluru also finished nine points ahead of their closest competitors to finish top of the ISL league stages in the 2017-18 season but were beaten 3-2 by Chennaiyin FC in the final at their Fortress.

Roca's two trophies for Bengaluru came in the form of the Federation Cup in 2017, when they beat Mohun Bagan 2-0 in the final after a CK Vineeth brace, and the Super Cup the following year when they thrashed East Bengal 4-1 in the final.

Hyderabad, in giving Roca a two-year contract, will hope that the Spaniard can put the building blocks in place for a better run next season, with their playoff hopes this season all but mathematically finished.