Manolo Marquez criticises Mumbai City after 2-1 loss to Churchill Brothers, questions team’s character
Manolo Marquez criticised Mumbai City FC after the Islanders suffered a 2-1 defeat to Churchill Brothers FC at the Fatorda Stadium in the opening game of the ISL 2026-27 season on Sunday. He said a draw would have been a fair result, but was harsh on his side’s finishing, pre-season preparation and what he described as a lack of character.
Mumbai City entered the new season looking to build on their third-place finish last campaign. Marquez said his team "had almost the same number of chances as they did, but we didn't play a good game," and felt the final score did not fully reflect the balance of the contest. He pointed to persistent problems from pre-season, notably the side’s inability to convert created opportunities into goals.
The head coach singled out the quality of opposition in pre-season as a major concern, arguing those preparations left the squad vulnerable for the opener. "It was an unrealistic pre-season. We played against very, very, very, very weak teams, and then you arrive at your first game against an ISL team. You are bound to struggle," Marquez remarked.
Marquez also underlined the finishing issue with examples from preparation and the opener. "Even in pre-season, we had the same problem. We created a lot of chances but were unable to score goals. Even against those weak teams, we were only winning 1-0 or 2-1. When you create around 10 chances and are not clinical, you have a problem. If you don't score your goals, the opponents will punish you," he said, while noting Churchill Brothers were more clinical in front of goal.
The build-up to Churchill Brothers' second goal drew particular frustration from Marquez, who felt there was a possible foul on Brandon Fernandes and criticised his players' reaction. "Probably, there was a foul on Brandon before the second goal. But the players didn’t protest. I would have liked to see them show some character and stand up for each other. The lack of character in this team is very, very clear," he said.
Marquez accepted responsibility for the performance and avoided singling out individuals after the opener. "I'm disappointed with myself because I couldn't bring out the good things in these players. But the lack of character from the team- not even protesting after the foul that led to the second goal- is something that disappoints me. A team without character is difficult to get things out of," he said, adding "It's better not to say anything. I don't want to create any problems unnecessarily." He also took ownership of the result: "I don't want to blame any players. I am the one who is guilty of this performance." Marquez concluded his remarks by addressing the travelling supporters: "I am thankful to the fans who travelled away, and I am grateful for their support. I am sorry we couldn't win, and I hope we can get a better result in Delhi," Marquez concluded.
The defeat leaves Mumbai City with issues to address ahead of their next match against Punjab FC in Delhi. "We will stay here tonight and start again on Tuesday as we travel to Delhi to play Punjab," he said, with the team to resume preparations on Tuesday for that fixture.
