September 4 – On debut, India manager Manolo Marques slammed his own team after a goalless draw against lowly Mauritius at the Intercontinental Cup. “It is difficult to play worse than today,” he said.
In Hyderabad, Marques went for a bold line-up, but India failed to beat an opponent ranked 55 places below the Blue Tigers at 179 on the FIFA ranking. Captain Lyndsay Rose drove the Mauritian defense with a man-of-the-match performance.
“We finished very tired. It’s clear that it’s pre-season, it’s clear that we didn’t train. It’s a good game in terms of that we didn’t concede and the effort of the players. It’s a good game because, from here, it is difficult to play worse than today. From here, we will grow,” said Marques.
In July, Marques succeeded Igor Stimac after India failed to progress to the third round of World Cup qualifiers. It once again ended the dream of the most populous nation on earth to feature at the global finals for the first time.
Under Marques, previously a manager at both Hyderabad and Goa, India will need to rebuild, turning their focus on qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup that will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Marques pointed at the Indian players’ lack of physical stamina, but the result was an indictment of how little progress Indian football has made in recent years. Earlier this year, the team failed to advance from the group stages of the Asian Cup, but the game remains fragmented at the club and grassroots levels as well.
“We need to play more,” said Marques. “If we want to arrive, we need to play closer between the players – close support. If you check the last game, the team finished very tired because the team played very long. Finally, when you play with a lot of distance [between players] it’s about physicality. And physically, we know that India, historically, has problems,” he continued.
“We need to keep going. I told in my first press conference that the clear target is to arrive in the best possible condition at the first game of the Asian Cup qualifiers. Obviously, we need to improve in all areas and I am completely convinced we will do it.”
On Monday, India take on Syria.
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