Panaji: FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez remains uncomfortable with numbers and what they broadly convey. When a question arose about FC Goa's two consecutive wins and NorthEast United's solitary point from their last four games, the Spanish coach could not help breaking into a smile.
Statistics Are Not Everything
"You love statistics, isn't it," Manolo remarked to the reporter during the pre-match media interaction. "When the match kicks off at 5 PM on Friday, NorthEast and Goa will both have 11 players. It does not matter if they have performed poorly in the last few games. It is not important if it is a team that we have not defeated for a long time. For us to win, we need to play better than them."
A Unique Challenge in Guwahati
NorthEast present a unique challenge to Goa when they face off at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. Goa have won just once at this venue, back in 2015, while eight games have ended in draws. The last time Goa defeated NorthEast was in 2022 at Fatorda, with Carlos Pena as head coach. Since Manolo took over in 2023, the team has had no success against the Highlanders, whether in the Indian Super League (ISL), Durand Cup, or Super Cup.
Previous Encounter Context
Interestingly, their most recent meeting came in the Super Cup at Fatorda, where NorthEast emerged victorious. However, at that time, Goa had already topped the group and qualified for the semifinals. "I do not count this game because we had already qualified, played five games in 15 days, and were to travel to Saudi Arabia the next day for the AFC Champions League 2 clash against Al Nassr," explained Manolo. "But it is true that most of our games have ended in draws. We are teams with two completely different styles. Even though they play from the back, they are very effective on the counterattack. It is a team that deserves more points than what they have."
Goa's Recent Form
Until their two wins on the trot, Goa were languishing in the middle of the table, having won just two of their first seven matches. They were also winless in four, but in their home game against Mumbai City FC last week, Manolo's side showed their true colors. Goa were impressive against Mumbai, with Sahil Tavora and Muhammed Nemil among the goals in a dominant 2-0 win.
"When you play against top teams, there is no need for extra motivation," said Manolo. "Against Mumbai, the team recovered a lot of what we had previously lost: the style, the press, hunger, even the positioning. Our win showed that we can defeat any team in the competition."
Aiming to End the Drought
Manolo will now look for a similar performance against NorthEast and hopefully end the four-year win drought. "We did not win against Mumbai for a long time, and suddenly we have three wins in a row. One day we will defeat NorthEast, and I hope it is tomorrow (Friday)," concluded the Goa coach.
