Foreign stars serve up CSL goalfest

'Moving forward'

Despite his team's disappointing start to the campaign, the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss insisted Dalian Pro is moving in the right direction.

"When we came here, the club was 14th in the league... But the club has delivered massive training grounds and really good facilities for developing young Chinese players. The club was thinking about moving forward."

To guarantee the safety of everyone involved, the first phase of the season is being played in front of empty stands. Players, coaches and referees are required to stay in designated lockdown areas in host cities Dalian and Suzhou, with no contact with the outside world allowed over the next two months.

A recent cluster of coronavirus cases in Dalian has reminded everyone of the importance of abiding by the CFA's epidemic prevention rules.

"Now it's more difficult because of COVID-19, but the commitment from the players and staff is really good. Hopefully we can see some progress," Benitez said. "The main concern for me is to make sure the players are fit and mentally they can cope with the intensity, because there are so many games in a short time."