Smarting from his unceremonious exit, former Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac on Monday warned his successor Manolo Marquez that the journey ahead “won’t be easy” but backed the Spaniard to deliver the goods.

Stimac, who was part of Croatia’s run to the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup, was sacked last month after India’s failure to qualify for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers despite getting a relatively easy draw.