"The target now is obviously to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup": India's head coach Manolo Marquez

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): The newly appointed head coach of the Indian football team Manolo Marquez on Sunday said that his main target is to qualify for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
Marquez held his first media interaction on Sunday in New Delhi since being appointed as the head coach of the senior men's national team on July 20.
Speaking at the press conference, Marquez said that his target is to improve the level of the Indian players. He added that progress takes time.
"The target now is obviously to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup if we speak about competitions. The target is also to improve the level of the Indian players in this case, to reach the next step individually and as a team. We need to improve. I don't like to speak about the ranking because sometimes statistics don't show the true picture. Everyone knows that progress takes time, but in this case, it depends on the attitude of everyone. Players, federation, staff, coaches. We all need to go in the same direction and then I am completely sure that we will get good results," Marquez was quoted by AIFF as saying.
The newly appointed head coach added that every player in the squad needs to know their role in the team.
"We will have six, seven games before the first qualifier in March. Let's see what happens in the first FIFA window before the ISL starts. In this situation, we are playing friendly matches and need to prepare for more important matches ahead. And we can't forget we need to be in Pot 1 before December's draw. But finally it's about preparation and to find the correct people to grow as a team. We need players who play for the team, and not individually. You have to find the correct players, not just 11 but the whole group of 20 to 25. Everyone needs to know their role in the team and we need to play in the style that we want," he added.
Marquez replaced Igor Stimac, a former Croatian footballer, who was sacked as the India men's football team head coach earlier in June after the team's poor performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign. (ANI)