"Everyone expected that we would be champions five games before the league stage conclusion" - FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez believed there were expectations from his team to easily win the 2023-24 ISL title well ahead of the conclusion of the league stage given the form they were in.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of his side's upcoming away fixture against Kerala Blasters FC on Sunday, February 25, the 55-year-old opened up about the expectations by saying:

"Everyone was expecting that we would be champions five games before the conclusion of the league stage, but it’s a competition (in the league) where there are very good teams and it’s very hard."

Although the team possessed an unblemished record throughout the first half of this season, the gaffer highlighted the aspect on which the team wasn't up to the mark:

"We attacked, we created chances, but the finishing was missing somewhere. I think in the last minutes, the attitude was very good, but the disorder on the pitch seemed strong."

FC Goa, who remained unbeaten in the first 12 matches of this edition's ISL, suffered successive defeats in their previous two outings - against NorthEast United FC (2-0) and Mohun Bagan Super Giant (1-0) at home in Fatorda.

"I expect after three defeats, a strong crowd will back Kerala Blasters FC" - Manolo Marquez

Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters FC who were on top of the standings after the first half of the season, are currently placed fifth having suffered three defeats in as many matches after the league restarted.

About the upcoming encounter against the Men in Yellow who will be playing in front of their vociferous supporters, Manolo Marquez asserted:

"Like all the volcanic people with a strong character, he managed a very good group. I think that he will push the players. I expect after three defeats, a strong crowd will back Kerala (Blasters FC) and they will create a lot of attacks in the initial minutes to score early goals. It will be an equal game and in football, anything can happen. I am confident that we will react in this game"

The home team has been badly affected by injuries this season with Ivan Vukomanovic not being able to have a fully fit squad for selection. Sharing his thoughts on the impact of these injuries, the immensely experienced gaffer said:

"They just lost Sachin Suresh who was having a great season. But the player, for me, that is difficult to substitute is Adrian Luna. I think that they have bad luck because the injuries in Kerala (Blasters FC) are not muscle problems. They are very big injuries now. They lost Kwame Peprah, they lost Adrian Luna (which was a big blow)."

Stressing the importance of a strong comeback by FC Goa after the back-to-back losses, the Spaniard who sounded optimistic about the turnaround in his team's fortunes further added:

"We have to come back as soon as possible. If we don’t, it will mean that we don’t deserve to be on top or second. But I feel that the team will be very competitive until the end of the season, despite these two games which were disappointments. We have two options. One is to give up, or the other is to try to recover the feelings, and especially try to win the game in Kerala. Let’s see if we can beat them and then, for sure, things will work again in the correct way."

With 28 points from 14 matches, FC Goa are fourth in the points table, trailing league leaders Odisha FC by four points. Given they have eight more matches to be played, the 2019-20 ISL League Shield Winners are very well in the race to repeat that feat if they can put aside the disappointment of their recent defeats.