Adrian Mierzejewski of Chongqing Lifan tries a volley during a CSL match against Dalian Yifang in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on April 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
CSL side Chongqing Lifan's five overseas players have returned to China ahead of the new season.
CHONGQING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- All five overseas players of Chinese Super League (CSL) side Chongqing Lifan returned to China on Monday ahead of the new CSL season which begins on July 25, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
"Four Brazilian strikers Marcinho, Marcelo Cirino, Fernandinho Silva, Alan Kardec, and Adrian Mirzejewski from Poland have arrived in Chongqing on Monday. They are now in a two-week self-isolation," said Chongqing head coach Chang Woe-ryong.
The South Korean coach noted that the overseas players will miss out on the first few rounds of the season because of quarantine regulations. "Of course I have concerns about their fitness and the team unity since the overseas players have not trained for three or four months."
"We will arrange more practises for them when they return to training. They are all professional players, and I believe they can get their good form back quickly," Chang added.
Chongqing will play all their matches in Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province for the first stage of the 2020 CSL's revised tournament-style format, which sees the 16 clubs divided into two groups according to their final standings last season.
"Our goal is to rank top four in our group at the end of the first stage," Chang said.
The Chongqing club also announced a big change in management on Tuesday as vice general manager and first team leader Chen Ming has left the club, while former Chinese international Wei Xin will succeed Chen as first team leader and head of the Chinese coaching group.
Chongqing Lifan will meet Beijing Guoan in their first CSL match on July 26. ■