Asish Rai speaks about working under Manolo Marquez, his season so far and more…

Into his second season with Hyderabad FC, right-back Asish Rai and his consistency have been one of the many reasons for HFC’s position in the league table this season. In an exclusive with our website, he speaks about his teammates, improving as a player and more…

On learning from his first season at HFC…

I have learnt that it does not really matter if you are a youngster or an experienced player. What matters is how confident you are as a player. Unless you can take responsibility for your role in the squad, you cannot play at your best. So, it is important that you believe in yourself and not be afraid.

On training under Head Coach Manolo Marquez…

Manolo is a really good coach. He has taught us a lot in these few months. He helps us all improve every aspect of our game and I am really happy to be training under him. I am learning new things in every training session and I hope to be a better player by the end of the season.

On playing alongside Odei Onaindia and Joao Victor…

Both Odei and Joao are really confident during a game. They help us to stay organized and add experience to our squad, which is all really valuable for us as a team. They are constantly talking to everyone around them and this makes it easy for me to stick to my job and reduce the chances of making any errors.

On his full-back partner Akash Mishra…

Yes, we talk a lot, even when we are away from the field. We try to learn from each other, are happy to point out the mistakes that we have in our game as we both are eager to learn and improve.

On facing some of the best wingers in the ISL, this season…

I have faced a few quick players this season and I feel I can learn a lot from them in such games. I know I could have played better at times against a few teams, but that motivates me to try harder in the upcoming games. When facing such fast wingers, my aim is to make sure I do not let them beat me in a one-on-one situation. That is what motivates me against tough opponents.

On adding assists to his game…

I did not know I got the assist for Liston’s goal from the other night. But yes, I speak to Aridane (Santana) and Joel (Chianese), who constantly push me to work on my crosses. We talk about when we should put in a deep cross and when we do a pull-back and all these things make playing with them easy and reduce pressure on me as a full-back.