The amount of training on the first day was not large. It was mainly for the new and old players to meet and restore their physical fitness.
The training on the second and third days was still the same.
Starting from the fourth day, the Espanyol team began formal training, not only conducting ball training, but also conducting group confrontation training.
In the first three days of training, Zhao Yang's performance was average, and his physical fitness was not as good as expected for a new player.
However, after the group competition started on the fourth day, the newcomers immediately felt the terror of Zhao Yang.
No one scores more goals than Zhao Yang, and no defender can block Zhao Yang's various goals.
Zhao Yang's astonishing scoring efficiency stunned the newcomers, and they even doubted whether Zhao Yang's body was following the navigation system.
It is normal for Zhao Yang's scoring efficiency to be so high, because Zhao Yang's shooting skills are so good that there is almost no shooting method that he does not know.
As long as he reaches the penalty area, no matter how the ball comes in, Zhao Yang can always use various formal and irregular methods to get the ball into the goal.
Although Reyes has not achieved much, he is still very arrogant. He was not convinced by Zhao Yang.
Reyes believes that Zhao Yang was able to score so many goals last season mainly because of his good ball movement and the fact that the entire team created scoring opportunities for him.
But now, Reyes finally understands the meaning of China's famous saying: There is no good person under the reputation.
In addition to being a little jealous of Zhao Yang on the No. 10 jersey, Jurado still admires Zhao Yang in other aspects.
Although Jurado is not yet comparable to Asensio, as a midfielder, he still passed a lot of good balls to Zhao Yang.
The Espanyol team lacked a midfield organizer, so last season Zhao Yang had to drop back to help control the midfield.
Jurado is there to strengthen the midfield. He does not face much competition pressure. As long as he performs normally, he will definitely be the main starter.
Forward Baptisto is Espanyol's major summer transfer signing, and the competition pressure on Baptisto is also heavy.
In the Spaniard's forward line, Zhao Yang is the unbeatable and absolute main force. Head coach Sergio will choose Caicedo or Moreno to partner with Zhao Yang according to different teams.
Caicedo scored 11 goals last season and was a strong complement to Zhao Yang. Moreno gradually came up from the bench and almost competed with Caicedo in the second half. His strength should not be underestimated.
It would not be easy for Baptistan to seize the main position from these two people, or even rotate the main team.
Newcomers find it difficult to rise to the top, and old people don't dare to slack off at all.
Although they haven't played a game yet, it can be seen from the training that the new players are very strong. Even the young people who have returned from loan to the team are training hard, and they may seize the opportunity to take over at some point.
The coaching staff will pay attention to training and intra-team competitions, but they do not regard the performance in training as a reflection of the true strength of new and old players.
A player's true strength can actually only be shown in real games, even in warm-up matches.
The Espanyol team's first warm-up match is scheduled in the Netherlands. Their first opponent is Utrecht, fifth in the Eredivisie and runner-up in the Dutch Cup.
The Utrecht team reached the Europa League qualifying round and they trained earlier than Espanyol.
Before the match against Espanyol, Utrecht played 5 warm-up matches and achieved good results of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
After all, the warm-up match is not a formal match, and the opponent is not very strong.
The Espanyol team arrived in Utrecht one day in advance and did not go to the field for training that day. They played in Utrecht all afternoon and then went to Utrecht's home court the next morning to adapt to the venue.
Espanyol is a small club, and apart from Zhao Yang, there are no big-name players.
Zhao Yang has only been around for a year and has countless fans in Spain and China, but very few in the Netherlands except for Chinese.
The game was played at three o'clock in the afternoon, and only a few thousand fans came to the Heel Ward Stadium, which can accommodate 24,000 people.
It's rare to warm up with a team that has entered the Champions League. The Utrecht fans don't pay attention to it, but the Utrecht team does. They send all their main players to fight.
The warm-up match against Utrecht is the first warm-up match for the Espanyol team, and Sergio and the players also attach great importance to it.
This emphasis does not mean that we must win, but that we must look at the training effect during this period, and more importantly, whether the new players are suitable for the Espanyol team's tactics and style of play.
Zhao Yang still starts, this is his first appearance wearing the No. 10 jersey.
Many Chinese fans came to the stadium to watch Zhao Yang's game. These Chinese fans were very excited. When they saw Zhao Yang coming out, they all waved scarves and shouted Zhao Yang's name.
Partnering with Zhao Yang on the front line is Baptisto, with Caicedo and Moreno sitting on the bench.
Jurado and Reyes started in the midfield, Jurado was responsible for organization and dispatch, and Reyes was more responsible for the final pass.
The Espanyol team has a 442 formation, but the midfielder is in a diamond position, and Reyes's role is similar to that of an attacking midfielder.
Reyes was once a good wide player, and superstars like Figo also suffered under his hands. However, now that he is older and has lost his speed, Sergio put him in the attacking midfielder position.
Assist Zhao Yang in attacking.
As for the goalkeeper position, last season's main goalkeeper was still Lopez, and the imported goalkeepers were not of much use.
A good goalkeeper is equivalent to half the team, and Lopez can only be said to be average, so the returning goalkeeper this time is afraid that Leno will also get a chance to start.
They haven't played a game for two months. Even after ten days of training, the players of the Espanyol team still couldn't improve their condition. Utrecht had the advantage on the field at the beginning, and the Espanyol team was forced to play in the midfield and backcourt.
Able to fight back sporadically.
The Spanish head coach Sergio on the sidelines didn't care either. He had expected this situation. There were 4 newcomers in the team and they didn't cooperate well enough. It would be impossible to play a good team like Utrecht away from home.
It will be easy.
Sergio and the coaching staff mainly want to see the performance of the new players. They are constantly discussing, and the tactical assistant also writes down problems on the field in his notebook. After the game, these need to be solved.
Although the cooperation is not tacit, the players in the Espanyol frontcourt are very capable and can create many opportunities based on their individual abilities alone.
In the 9th minute of the game, Reyes received a pass from Alvarez on the left. He moved forward to meet the ball, stopped the ball with his left foot, but let the ball pass, and moved his right foot forward to the right, deceiving it.
Utrecht players defending.
At this moment, Zhao Yang and Baptisto are both running, and Reyes can choose to pass the ball to any one of them.
However, before the game, Espanyol head coach Sergio made it clear that when the opportunities are equal, the ball will be passed to Zhao Yang first.
Zhao Yang was followed by defensive players, and Baptistan was also followed by defenders. However, Zhao Yang started first and hoped to get the ball before the defender.
But Reyes didn't pass the ball to anyone. Taking advantage of the space left by the defender, he took a few steps forward and shot.