New coach gets down to business as South China look to regain glory
Former Slovakia national coach Jan Kocian has already set about turning domestic powerhouses South China into a lean, mean, fighting machine for the new season.
Kocian turned up the heat in his first training session with his new club yesterday, with the Caroliners spending two hours running under the hot and humid conditions at Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground.
'I know my job will be leading the team back to first position as South China are a celebrity team with many Hong Kong international players,' Kocian said. 'The team must be disciplined. Although there are still two months to our first game of the season, we have to work hard and improve the players' physical fitness.'
Kocian, 53, quit his job with Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Sainty in May after only after five matches, blaming it on communication problems.
'It's not easy to work in China and I hope it will be better in Hong Kong as it is a different culture,' he said.
Captain Li Haiqiang, who turned down an offer from champions Kitchee in the close season, expected the new coach to bring plenty of changes.
'We learnt a big lesson from last season,' said the 34-year-old midfielder, who had to wrap his left knee in ice after the practice. 'With the arrival of a new coach from overseas, we hope to see a new outlook in terms of our playing style and ability.'
Last season, the Caroliners were upstaged by Kitchee after winning the four previous league championships. They were also dumped out of the AFC Cup and will also miss out on competing in the regional cup next year after losing the Senior Shield final to Citizen.
Club convenor Steven Lo Kit-sing, made it clear their target next season is a clean sweep of all four major domestic titles.
'Our target is to win everything,' Lo said. 'There are a lot of things we can learn from the professional clubs in Europe and it is my biggest wish to turn South China into the best professional side in Asia.
'We will be signing three more new faces from overseas - mainly from Brazil,' he said.
