Wu vows to keep Euro dream alive

Chinese forward determined to ride out struggles in Spain's top flight

With just three starts and no goals so far this term, Wu Lei has acknowledged that his continuing tribulations in La Liga give plenty of cause for concern.

The Espanyol forward, however, is again resisting calls to give up on his Spanish adventure and restart his career elsewhere.

"I have been thinking a lot recently about my performance, and I want to reflect on what aspects of my game that I'm not doing well in and where I can improve," Wu wrote on his personal blog on Wednesday.

"For the past month, there have been many ups and downs in the league matches and the World Cup qualifiers with the national team. I have experienced all the possible situations and feelings that a player can have.

"Some media say I always focus on the good news instead of the bad. So I want to note down how I feel and reflect on my situation through my blog. This is a way to help me sort through these problems."

The 29-year-old arrived at Espanyol in 2019 after helping Shanghai Port (then known as Shanghai SIPG) win its first Chinese Super League title.

Wu proved an instant hit at the Barcelona-based club, becoming the first Chinese player to score in La Liga and helping the team rise from relegation trouble to Europa League qualification.

However, Wu encountered unprecedented challenges in 2020 when he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 in March of that year. When he finally returned to the pitch after beating the virus, he failed to help Espanyol avoid the drop to the Spanish second division.

Espanyol managed to return to the top flight at the first attempt, however Wu found himself warming the bench for the majority of that promotion campaign. This term has proved no different, with Wu starting just three of the team's 11 league matches so far.

Wu started last weekend's 2-2 draw with Elche, but was withdrawn at halftime after failing to have an impact on the game, let alone find the net.

"During the first half, Wu Lei again failed to score and only had seven touches of the ball, which is even lower than the team's goalkeeper. So statistically speaking, the coach cannot be satisfied with his performance," renowned sports commentator Han Qiaosheng wrote on Weibo.

"Despite earning some chances in the starting XI, his performances are not even as good as when he played mostly as a substitute last season. He played on the left, a position he is familiar with, but there wasn't much supply from his teammates. This is not Shanghai Port, and the rivals are not CSL teams, so he won't get as many chances to attack."

Wu was an unused sub in 10th-placed Espanyol's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, and calls are growing for Wu to rethink his career and perhaps move on.

The January transfer window could offer Wu an escape route, however for now he appears determined to stick to his guns.

"Actually my mentality is fine now. Every soccer player encounters problems on the pitch. So it's an obstacle for all professional players to overcome. The nature of the sport dictates that a player and a team depend on each other, and therefore this sometimes doesn't go as smooth as we'd like," Wu wrote on his blog.

"For me, more importantly, I need to understand my positioning during different phases of games. I need to adjust my mentality and remain positive to face all these difficulties. What soccer brings to us should not be negativity and silence. I think I can handle the pressure... I have written all this to address not only the fans but also myself. My journey is far from over."

Wu is currently the only Chinese international playing in one of Europe's major leagues, and his form for Team China throughout its 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign indicates the stint abroad has improved his game.

Sergi Torrents, the general manager of La Liga China, told thepaper.cn that Wu remains China's best homegrown player, and reckons he retains the trust of Espanyol's head coach, Vicente Moreno.