Marques took over from new Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund on Monday and says he is looking forward to building on the success of last season.

“I know exactly what the challenges will be for us, I know there will be raised expectations, but the players realise that too and their ambition is the same as mine, to go out there and win trophies,” Marques told Avusa Sports.

He says that although his philosophy of the game is very much based on Portuguese football, it is not that dissimilar to Igesund and says they worked a lot in tandem last season in finding the right dynamic for the team: “I have the Portuguese schooling in my background, which is all about creativity, flair and playing to win, so that is the philosophy that I will bring to the job.

“Gordon had a very similar outlook last season and we shared ideas about how the team should play, that was brought out in the type of players we signed, guys like David Mathebula and Joseph Makhanya.

“We were always bouncing ideas between us and I had quite a bit of input. We shared the same vision and my vision for the team now has not changed much.”

Marques says he will continue to rely on his experienced players in the new campaign and has no plans to overhaul the squad.

“I have always been a firm believer in the value of having experienced players in your squad and what they bring in terms of leadership and guidance. People think a coach can just come in and wave a magic wand and “voila”, things happen.

“I know that is not the case, we are dealing with people here and team dynamics is one of my strengths. We have a great group of players and the mix of young and more experienced guys is a big part of our success.”