Marquez Manolo, the head coach of India, said that his squad has “to improve in everything” during Monday’s international friendly against Malaysia, a team they haven’t won in three games. India has lost once and drawn twice under Manolo, who took over as head coach in July. In the September Intercontinental Cup, India lost 0–3 to Syria and drew with Mauritius. On October 12, the team’s most recent game ended in a 1-1 draw with Vietnam. The Indian squad would finish the year without a victory in 11 games if Monday’s outcome is not favorable. Additionally, Monday’s game will be India’s final before the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in March of the following year.
“We want to win after a long period, of course. Attack, defense, transitions, and set pieces are all important in football. During the pregame news conference on Sunday, Manolo said, “We have to get better at everything.”
People claim, for instance, that you had a fantastic second half in Vietnam. I would answer “yes,” but we still committed a significant error that almost cost us the game. That is something we must work on. Typically, the side with the fewest errors wins the match.
“We’ll want to play well and make fewer errors than Malaysia. We are familiar with Malaysian fashion, and I am well acquainted with the coach. It will be a difficult game for both clubs, and they play terrific football,” Manolo said.
Nothing separates the two teams in head-to-head results despite the fact that they have met each other 32 times. Twelve games have been won by the Blue Tigers and the Harimau Malaya, while eight have resulted in draws.
The latest FIFA rankings also show little variation, with Malaysia coming in at 133rd and India at 125th.
“Although the match is friendly, it will be beneficial to assess the level against Malaysia, a Pot 2 team, in the qualifying round. We definitely want to win since we haven’t won in a long time. With each training session, we want to demonstrate the progress we’ve been making,” Manolo said.
On December 9, the Asian Cup Qualifiers draw will take place. Malaysia, at number 133, will be in Pot 2, and India, at number 125, will be in Pot 1. India will remain in Pot 1 regardless of the outcome of the match on Monday.
According to Manolo, the “most difficult Indian player to be replaced” is Sandesh Jhingan, a veteran player and central defense who is making a comeback from an injury he suffered ten months ago.
“You don’t have players like this. Not because he is Messi, but because of his leadership, performance, and character, he is a vital member of the squad.” “This is our third camp with coach Manolo,” stated forward Edmund Lalrindika, who was accompanying Manolo at the press conference. He is an excellent instructor. The planning has gone well. With him, everyone feels at ease. I like working out with him. We are all aware of his desires. We’re excited about tomorrow. From their 1957 friendly match in Kuala Lumpur, when India won 3-0, to their quarterfinal match in the Merdeka tournament last year, where Malaysia triumphed 4-2, the animosity between India and Malaysia in football is longstanding.
Similar to Manolo, Pau Martí, the head coach of Malaysia, is a Barcelona native who took over as Harimau Malaya’s manager in July. They defeated New Zealand 0–4 last month and won the Merdeka event in September under his leadership.
Malaysia landed in India late on Saturday night after defeating Laos 3-1 in a friendly match held in Bangkok on November 14.
“Playing against Manolo excites me much. He has a wealth of expertise and is an excellent coach. Our cities are the same. He coached several teams at all levels, from La Liga to the fourth division. Manolo is an inspiration to Barcelona coaches.
“He has worked with many teams in India for the last three or four years. The Indian team will undoubtedly be ready,” Martí remarked.
“I think it’s really difficult to play here. We anticipate a really challenging game. As a team, we need to enhance our away performance. It has been hard to win away. Therefore, I believe it would be a fantastic chance and challenge for us,” the Malaysian coach continued.
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