India head coach Marquez Manolo has not notched up a win in three matches, and he admitted his team needs “to improve in everything” during the international friendly against familiar opponents Malaysia on Monday. Under Manolo, who was appointed head coach in July, India has so far lost once while drawing twice. India drew against Mauritius and lost 0-3 to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup in September. The team drew with Vietnam 1-1 in its last match on October 12. If the Indian team does not get a positive result on Monday, it will end the year without a win in 11 matches. Monday’s match will also be India’s last before the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in March next year.
“Obviously, we want to win after a long time. Football is about attack, defence, transitions and set pieces. We need to improve in everything,” Manolo said on Sunday at the pre-match press conference.
“For example, people say you played a great second half in Vietnam. I say ‘yes’, but we still made some big mistake that almost made us lose the game. We need to work on that. The team with less mistakes usually are the one who wins the game.
“We will try to play a good game with fewer mistakes than Malaysia. We know the style of Malaysia, I know the coach perfectly (well). They play good football and it will be a tough game for both teams,” said Manolo.
The two sides have faced each other 32 times and there’s nothing to separate the two sides in head-to-head results. The Blue Tigers and the Harimau Malaya have won 12 matches each, while eight have ended in draws.
There is also little difference in the current FIFA rankings, with India placed 125th and Malaysia 133rd.
“It’s a friendly game but it will be good to check the level against a Pot 2 team (Malaysia) in the qualifiers. We have gone a long time without a win, so obviously we want to win. We want to show the improvement that we’ve been making in every training session,” said Manolo.
The draw for the Asian Cup Qualifiers will be held on December 9. India, ranked 125, will be placed in Pot 1, while Malaysia, ranked 133, will be in Pot 2. Irrespective of the result of the Monday’s game, India will maintain their position in Pot 1.
Manolo said senior player and central defender Sandesh Jhingan, who is returning to action after recovering from an injury he sustained 10 months ago, is the “most difficult Indian player to be replaced”.
“You don’t have these kinds of players. Not that he is Messi but because he is very important in the team, in terms of the leadership, how he performs, the character he is.” Forward Edmund Lalrindika, who accompanied Manolo in the press conference, said, “This is our third camp with coach Manolo. He is a really great coach. The preparations have been good. Everyone is comfortable with him. I enjoy training with him. We all know what he wants from us. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.” The India-Malaysia football rivalry goes back a long way — since their first meeting in a 1957 friendly in Kuala Lumpur, which India won 3-0, until last year’s Merdeka tournament semifinal clash in which Malaysia emerged 4-2 winners.
Like Manolo, Malaysia head coach Pau Martí also hails from Barcelona and took charge of Harimau Malaya in July. Under him, they won the Merdeka tournament in September and lost 0-4 to New Zealand last month.
Malaysia beat Laos 3-1 in a friendly in Bangkok on November 14 and arrived in India from the Thai capital late on Saturday night.
“I am very excited to play against Manolo. He is a great coach with a lot of experience. We are from the same city. He coached many clubs at different levels, from the fourth tier to LaLiga. For coaches from Barcelona, Manolo is an inspiration.
“He has been in India for three or four years, working with different clubs. I’m sure the Indian team will be well prepared,” said Martí.
“I believe it’s very tough to play here. We expect a very difficult game. For us as a team, we have to improve our record away from home. It’s been difficult to win away. So I think it will be a good challenge and opportunity for us,” the Malaysian coach added.
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