On February 10th, Li Lei, the focal point of Chinese soccer, shared his challenges and adaptations in the foreign league in an interview at Grasshopper Club in Switzerland. Li Lei admitted that the competition in the Swiss league is far beyond imagination and he is trying to adapt to the rhythm here.
Li Lei's path to stay in the ocean seems smooth, but actually progresses rapidly. In the last round of Swiss Super League, he made his personal debut in an official match. Although he came on as a substitute in the 70th minute as a left wingback and performed moderately well, the team eventually lost 1-3 to the opponent.
Despite joining Grasshoppers for only a month and making only two appearances in warm-up matches, Li Lei still needs to gel with the team. According to Soccer Daily, when he first arrived in Switzerland, he stayed in a hotel arranged by the team, with an apartment already rented and furniture being gradually added. Li Lei's life is centered around training and the hotel, with his free time spent learning the language. It is worth noting that although Grasshoppers have not provided him with an interpreter, the team's skipper is fluent in four languages, most of the European players speak their mother tongue, and there is no interpreter for the Japanese players. Although language learning is still ongoing, there is no barrier to communication in terms of soccer terminology, and Li Lei is able to understand the coach's tactical intentions during training and matches, and is affectionately referred to as "Li" by his teammates.
Talking about the training at Grasshopper, Li Lei said, "The intensity of confrontation in training is extremely high and the rhythm is compact. In the preparatory period, the team organizes two to three training sessions a day. Our coach adopts the German training mode, which requires rapid transition between offense and defense, aggressive pressing in offense, and pressure on the opponent's wingbacks in defense."
Li Lei also revealed details of his participation in the warm-up matches. In the first match against a Swiss first division team, he was able to adapt to the rhythm, but felt overwhelmed after half-time. In the second match against the Swiss Super Team, he completely followed the rhythm of the opponent. Li Lei believes that the Swiss Super team has strong ball control and fast tempo changes, which is very different from the Chinese Super team, and he needs to adapt as soon as possible.
After staying in the ocean, Li Lei was overwhelmed with emotions, comparing himself to a young man repositioning himself in a new environment. Previously a veteran in the national team, now a raw talent in Grasshoppers, he needs to adjust his position.
Finally, Li Lei also talked about missing the national team games due to injury. He said that although there were some minor injuries, but they were not serious, and he regretted missing the national team games. Now, he will do his best to strengthen his physical training and improve his ability to play for the national team. (DD)
