Source: New Morning Post
Reporter: Yu Jiong
With the first phase of the Chinese Super League (CSL) coming to an end on Monday, Shanghai Harbour's players, who have had a two-week vacation, quickly assembled to start preparing for the FA Cup in October and the CSL Champions League in December.
Harbor head coach Leko was a guest on a TV show and shared all the insights he has had since taking over the Harbor team.
I'm pleased with the progress of the players.
Leko said he has been in China for seven or eight months and has gained a deeper understanding of Chinese soccer, "I think soccer is a crucial sport in China. Especially the Chinese players, they love soccer immensely, they are very good and very dedicated."
"I can responsibly say that in the first six months since I took over the team, the players have left me with a positive impression." Talking about the Chinese players in the squad, Leko said he is very sure that every country's players have their own strengths and weaknesses, "We want to help them improve through our efforts. The first thing is of course to play good soccer, and then to improve the level of the Chinese players. After seven or eight months, I think the level and progress of some of our players is good enough to satisfy me."
The program also featured Harbor veteran Yu Hai.
China Super League (soccer league)
Later in the first period, Yu Hai returned to the starting lineup.
"Yu Hai is a guy who gets along well at work, he is exemplary at any job and everyone knows he is very good. I think the most important thing in training is to trust your players that they can play a high level of soccer and that they always have room to move forward. Yu Hai is the best example of that." Leko said, "Of course the other players are also very good, they also work very hard and have good soccer habits. All of this allows them to perform even better on the field."
Keep an eye on your opponents and prepare for the championship bracket
With 28 points, the Harbors enter the season
China Super League (soccer league)
Stage 2 championship bracket.
Lecco revealed that the coaching staff had already been watching and studying future opponents during the first phase, "We watched all the
China Super League (soccer league)
Tournaments. One race every three days is very busy and we are pressed for time, so sometimes we complain that only 24 hours a day is too little and wish we could have more hours in the day. But we still watched the races of our rivals in the championship group."
"We know the situation in the other group and know the level of these opponents." Regarding the second stage of the event, Leko remains confident, "I think we are very confident in ourselves with total respect for our other opponents. We will focus on ourselves and train hard every day to improve more."
High-intensity training to prepare for the championship
The intense training that Leko insists on has become a "standard" for the Harbor team. Yu Hai said, "We sometimes run more distance in training than in practice."
"You can train as intensely as you can race as intensely as you can." Leko believes this is a very simple truth, "I don't think it's a secret that I'm tough or not tough. It's all very simple for me and my guys know that if they train well, they'll have more opportunities to get on the podium."
"If you have a very easy training session, your body won't be ready for the game. By the time you get to the game, when you need to make a move, your muscles are at risk of injury." Of course, Leko also thanked the team's logistical team, "Thank goodness we've had a very good medical team and other technical departments over the last seven or eight months, and we've worked together to safeguard the players, not to get injured in training, and that our players can be stronger than the rest of the team."
Once again, Leko talked about his soccer training philosophy, "Simply put, the harder the players train, the closer they get to success, very simple."
The exemplary role of foreign aid is more critical
With the Harbour's outside backs not in full flow, it finished
China Super League (soccer league)
The first stage of the tournament saw good performances from Chinese players.
In Leko's opinion, foreigners should play a more important role in the team, "They need to act as role models for the whole team on the pitch, on the training ground and in life. They need to be role models for the whole team on the pitch and in life, because usually, Chinese players learn from them spontaneously. Sometimes a lot of Chinese clubs don't understand this modeling role, they will think that as long as the foreigners can break through or score goals on the field, nothing else matters."
"But the fact is that it is important for the foreigners to be exemplary. Sometimes we say that domestic players pass the ball to the foreigners and then they can drink coffee on the field while waiting for them to score. This is the biggest problem Chinese soccer is experiencing right now, and I think it needs to go and change." Leko continued, "Because Chinese players are also at a good level, they can also score goals and play a good game. How to go and help them build their confidence, how to make them believe that they are also very good, the foreigners need to play a role here to assist them to play better and better."
Expect Oscar, Muy and Paulinho to do well
Regarding the new midfield combination of Oscar, Mooy and Paulinho, Leko said he is looking forward to it, "It is very important to have these three high-level players, but for various reasons we have not seen the manifestation of the trio when they are together yet. Hopefully, when the title race group starts in December, they can come on stage together and prove that our expectations are not in vain and, more importantly, help the team get results."
China must have confidence in themselves
Mooi will be part of the Australian team at
World Cup
The first match of the qualifying round of 12 in Asia against China.
How to limit the heart of the Australian midfielder, Leko smiled and said, "Muy is a very good player and I trust that the coaching staff of the Chinese team knows him very well. He will be a threat to the Chinese team, but I'll go back to what I said before, what the Chinese team needs is to focus on themselves."
Leko feels that China has a good squad, "I think China has to have confidence in themselves while focusing on their opponents. I've been here for seven or eight months now and I've seen a lot of great players, so I believe that even if I have to face Mui and the rest of the good players in the Australian team, China still has a good chance."
Feeling at home in Shanghai
How does Leko feel about the city of Shanghai?
I think the most important thing about Shanghai for me is the people in the city," said Leko. It's a long way from home, but I feel at home here and the people are always friendly and want to help me out. The city is beautiful, but the people are even better, and that's what I've felt since I've been here."
