On a high, HFC set bigger goals
Hyderabad Football Club just about slipped out of semifinal contention to finish a creditable fifth in the Indian Super League and coach Manuel Marquez is understandably satisfied.
That was a big leap, considering they finished at the bottom of the table in the previous season. The odds were against HFC with matches being played away from home and injuries to players but the team logged 29 points from 20 games winning six, losing three and drawing 11 to be nudged out by Goa (31 points) for a semis place.
“We are very satisfied about the season. We could not make it to the semifinals but it is very difficult to look for something to criticise the players in this situation. This group is amazing, one of the best that I have trained in my life,” Marquez said during a media interaction here on Wednesday.
The rewards were overwhelming as six players from the side were picked for the Indian camp by national coach Igor Stimac. “That’s the most any ISL club has in the list and makes all of us really proud. They are quality players and deserve greater exposure,” Marquez said.
Marquez was all praise for the home fans’ virtual support. “We have been playing away but knew that the Hyderabad fans were behind the team. We felt very close to them and can’t wait to play in front of our supporters at home next season,” he said.
“Imagine that this is a film and we are the romantic story. We fought against the odds through the tournament. For Hyderabad, the club and supporters to win six games was quite something,” the Spaniard added.
He wants to expand the love story by involving local players. Asked about Aadarsh Narayanapuram, an 18-year-old Hyderabadi who has recently acquired a European player licence in the junior category and is currently playing for lower division side CD Olimpic de Xativa in Valencia, Spain, Marquez said: “You can count on players from your city. It’s very difficult though and is a step-by-step process. But for me one important thing would be that players from Hyderabad could play in the first team. I have always liked working with local players — I have done that all through my stints at Spanish clubs.”
“This team is practically new, you have start from a scratch. Now we are taking the first step and the intention of the club — and one that I like in this project — is to try and take players from Hyderabad. However, that’s not easy and is something that needs time. But this is a big city which has contributed many players to the national team in the years gone by, we hope to bring back the good old days,” the 52-year-old said.
“This year because of the Covid situation it has been tough else we would have had the youth teams and everything in place. Now, slowly and steadily we are building from bottom-up. All our grassroot programs and youth level teams are being chalked out. Probably in the coming days we will have more information and will execute our plans,” Mayur Karanjkar, Hyderabad FC Head of Media, added.