Players yearn for Chinese Super Leag start, says Shandong Luneng head coach

DALIAN -- Shandong Luneng head coach Li Xiaopeng said on Sunday that his players have been looking forward to the kick-off of the Chinese Super League (CSL) 2020 campaign.

The coach said his players found it hard to endure the long period of training without playing any matches. Shandong arrived in Dalian on Sunday, six days before the coronavirus-delayed CSL season starts.

"It is really something unbearable for my players and coaching staff to work out for a long time without playing any competitive matches. They can hardly stand it any more," Li said.

His team will play the first phase of this season in a closed-off area from July 25 to September 28. They will be confined to their hotel when not playing or training.

Li said he had asked his players to accept the new format with a positive attitude.

"I have told my players that we should compare ourselves with the medical workers who had volunteered to go to Wuhan to combat the virus without knowing when they would return home. At least we know that we'll go back home in about 70 days," he said.

The truncated 2020 CSL season will see 16 teams split into two groups, each group of eight teams to be based in the same hotel to play the first phase behind closed doors.

The program for its second phase remains undecided.