Football

Manolo Marquez, the soft-spoken Spaniard who has become renowned for his ability to maximize limited resources in Indian football, has been appointed as the head coach of the senior national men's football team. However, he will continue his coaching duties with ISL club FC Goa alongside his national team responsibilities.In an interview with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Marquez emphasized the importance of coach education worldwide. "It's not only in India, but coach education is important in all countries. Licenses are important, but they don't guarantee you'll be a better coach. Someone may not have a license but have more knowledge about football," he said.Marquez's tenure with the Blue Tigers will commence at the Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad, where they will face Syria and Mauritius in September. During his four-year stay in India, he has witnessed a significant improvement in the quality of Indian coaches."Over the four seasons that I've been here, I've seen the level of Indian coaches get better every season. Last season, there were two Indian head coaches – Thangboi Singto (Hyderabad FC) and Khalid Jamil (Jamshedpur FC). Clifford (Miranda) won the Super Cup with Odisha FC before that," Marquez noted.He also highlighted the talent of Indian assistant coaches, including Gouramangi Singh, a former India international, who currently assists him at FC Goa. "In the national team, I will also be working with Mahesh Gawali, another good coach who was an excellent player for the national team a few years ago," he added.Marquez believes that the long-term goal should be to have an Indian head coach for the national team. "It's not just for the national team, but for the clubs too. Every Indian assistant coach at the clubs should aim to become a head coach in the next few years. Maybe they can also start with being the head coach of the U-17 or U-19 teams before moving on to take charge of the senior teams," he said.

With the Indian Super League (ISL) approaching its mid-season break, concerns are mounting for national team coach Igor Stimac as several key players are struggling for playing time at their clubs.Among the affected players are Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuiah), Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, and Pritam Kotal, who collectively boast over 223 international appearances. In the past two rounds, none of these players have completed a full match.Thapa, a crucial midfielder for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, has not played a full game in the last six rounds. Brandon Fernandes, the FC Goa captain, has failed to score in 892 minutes of play and was omitted from the squad in the team's last two matches. Udanta Singh has started only one of FC Goa's last six games.Ralte has been absent from Mumbai City FC's squad in the last two rounds, while Rahul KP has not lasted a full game in Kerala Blasters' last five matches. Sahal Abdul Samad, who picked up an injury, missed Mohun Bagan's recent match against Jamshedpur FC.Stimac's concerns are compounded by the injuries to Sandesh Jhingan and Ashique Kuruniyan. With the World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan approaching, Stimac may have to consider players who are not currently getting regular minutes at their clubs.However, head coaches often prefer to stick with players who have lost their starting berths at clubs due to familiarity with the national team's training and fitness drills. Stimac has previously stated that he would only consider new players after they have maintained their form for a season.Despite these challenges, Stimac may consider players like Imran Khan of Jamshedpur FC, Isak Vanlalruatfela of Odisha FC, and Amey Ranawade of Odisha FC, who have impressed with their performances this season.