Calcutta: Syed Nayeemuddin, who stood by the sidelines of the Salt Lake Stadium ground for almost two hours watching East Bengal practise, on Friday, was continuously being asked one question by the scribes: “Is it right for the players to practise with the ball on the very third day of the season? Shouldn’t they concentrate more on tuning their physical fitness?”

Falopa himself came up with a pretty straightforward answer when the issue was raised during a media interaction. “They have to learn, they are professionals… I don’t want to speak about what happened in the past. Yes, they have to warm-up properly for the long season. But practising with the ball is also important,” Falopa said.

If Friday’s practice is an indication, expect the East Bengal players to utilise the wings more and better this season as the coach spent a lot of time in teaching his wards the importance of wing-play and goal-bound crosses.

Emphasising the need to stay grounded and not harbour unrealistic hopes, Falopa said: “I’m glad to see that the players have shown the required interest and determination. Discipline is important… But by that, I don’t mean military discipline.”

Stars players Edeh Chidi and James Moga are yet to arrive, but Falopa insisted that their star power wouldn’t make their task any easier. “ Whenever they join, they will have to work hard… They can’t just go to the beach and enjoy. ”