SIPG's new manager Pereira as passionate as AVB, says team captain Wang Shenchao
Shanghai SIPG captain Wang Shenchao said the team's new manager Vitor Pereira is as passionate as his predecessor, Andre Villas-Boas.
Pereira, along with 11 players, attended the club’s year-end fans' gathering on Friday evening, and interacted with them. Over 200 fans, along with club officials, turned up for the event.
The Portuguese coach also attended the team’s first training session after the winter holiday on Thursday – one day after landing in Shanghai.
“Despite the jet leg, he was passionate, especially in the training session," said Wang. "He is just like (Andre Villas-) Boas. He is loud, and took every opportunity to explain the techniques to us.”
The team will fly to Dubai next month for a 10-day intensive training to prepare for the AFC Champions League qualifying match on January 30.
Meanwhile, the club also unveiled plans of a new stadium in Pudong. It will be Shanghai’s second professional football stadium after Hongkou Football Stadium. It is scheduled to be ready in 2019 and will have a capacity of 35,000.
The stadium has been designed by a German architecture company which designed the home stadiums for Bundesliga clubs Schalke 04, Wolfsburg and Leverkusen.