I-League: Five things new East Bengal coach Marcos Falopa must do

Solid pre-season a MUST

Marcos Falopa and his son Americo will have to prepare the team well in pre-season

The only blemish on Trevor Morgan’s three-year spell was the fact that he didn’t win the I-League. The main reason for that was the fatigue that the East Bengal players experienced as Morgan had to fulfil the expectations of club officials and fans by fielding strong teams in tournaments like the Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield.

The same will be expected of Falopa and thus he will need a fully-fit squad for the long marathon season. Hence the pre-season preparations will be vital and thus the senior and junior Falopa will have to do some serious hard work between now and the middle of September when they face Semen Padang in the AFC Cup quarter-finals.

Everything, starting from physical tests to the exposure camp in Kalyani and the invitational tournament involving Mohun Bagan and Uruguay’s Central Espanol, has to be used immaculately by the father-son duo. In the past we have seen many I-League clubs having numerous injury problems during the season as they failed to have a proper pre-season and thus the Falopas can’t take anything for granted in this period.

Last season, East Bengal played 59 matches in all competitions and if they once again qualify for the AFC Cup, it could be a similar number this time also and for that Falopa will need a squad and not a group of 15-16 players. Many people might look at the two-legged tie against Semen Padang as Falopa’s first real test but his immediate concern will be getting the team ready for another long season and the work starts from Wednesday.