![\"Goan](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130316271,imgsize-193004,width-400,height-225,resizemode-72\/dsc07179.jpg\" "\\"FC")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nPanaji: If he had enough options, FC Goa<\/a> coach Manolo Marquez said he would field 11 Goan players for the senior team in the Indian Super League<\/a> (ISL).He doesn\u2019t have enough right now. For the last clash against Odisha FC, Manolo handpicked goalkeeper Bob Jackson Raj and midfielder Harsh Patre for rare starting roles, while Brison Fernandes was a second-half substitute.\u201cWe need to continue working at the grassroots, in the academy, to ensure that development team players progress to the senior squad,\u201d Manolo told reporters during his pre-match media interaction last week. \u201cSome players have already trained with us, played some games. It\u2019s not just about having Goan players (in the senior team). They must be ready.\u201dThis season, Sitroy Carvalho, Malsawmtlunga, Vellington Fernandes, Jovial Dias and Lionel Rymmei were all handed the chance to train with the senior team. Centre-back Sitroy, one of the most promising players with the development squad, even made appearances in the AFC Champions League Two and Super Cup.Prachit Gaonkar was another player who graduated from the juniors to senior team last season and later featured in the ISL, a long tradition that has seen a steady lineup of players make progress since 2018.\u201cThe youngsters are doing well with the development squad. I must take this opportunity to congratulate the team for making it to the semifinals for the second time in a row. Goa are the only side to make it (for two years in a row) and that tells you the quality. It\u2019s not easy, and the team has a lot of Goan players,\u201d said Manolo.Manolo was congratulating the team for making it to the knockout stage of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), an under-21 tournament for the best teams in the country. Last season, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Classic FA, Jamshedpur and FC Goa made it to the last four. This time around, Goa remain the only side to enter the knockout stage from last season\u2019s quartet and have infact done better by qualifying for the final where they will be up against Bengaluru FC<\/a> on Saturday.It won\u2019t be easy for Goa against the impeccable Bengaluru, a side teeming with some of the country\u2019s best young footballers, largely from Manipur. Their 10-0 aggregate win against Kerala Blasters in the semifinal came as no surprise for those who have followed the competition.That Goa made it to the final for the first time is commendable.\u201cIt\u2019s not easy with so many top teams and elite young players,\u201d said Manolo.The experienced former India coach has a point. Sixteen players from the recent India U-20 SAFF Championship squad featured in the semifinals across the four teams. Of the 64 players who took the field, Goa and Kerala had 11 each from the state, the second best after Manipur (25).\u201cI think technically, Goans are very good players, but in modern football that is not enough. Maybe in the past, this quality (alone) would be good, but now you need to be quick thinking. It\u2019s not about being strong but smart. When you receive the ball, you know that the opponent will press, so you should be able to improvise and adapt.\u201cIf you see the Goa Professional League, all teams play from the back. Technically, Goan players are fine, but we need something more in terms of physicality and everything else. If Goa continues to work at the grassroots, in the academy, you will see a lot many Goan players in the senior team very soon,\u201d said Manolo.That would be music to the ears of the youngsters at FC Goa.Manolo was in the stands for the semifinals against Punjab FC and walked up to the squad after they had booked their place in the final. Next season, he\u2019s certain to welcome some of them to the senior team.<\/div>\n