WUHAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese international Li Tie and the Chinese men's football team are training in Chinese central city Wuhan from November 3-14 in preparation for the upcoming EAFF E-1 football Championship this December.
After an open training here on Wednesday, Li said he is searching for players who are willing to serve on the national team.
According to the Chinese Football Association, 42-year-old Li will lead a new 27-men squad as the head coach to play in the traditional East Asian football tournament, while Italian legend Marcello Lippi will lead another national team to play in 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
"All of the 27 players in this team have been doing a brilliant job in Chinese Super League, it is difficult for them to perform well at the end of a long, hard season. That is why I am saying we need players who have strong will power," Li Tie said.
Li is also the head coach of Chinese Super League club Wuhan Zall and says he considers taking on two tasks at the same time to be both challenging and exciting.
"We are enjoying this moment. I hope we can do well on both national team side and the club side," Li added.
Li and his squad are scheduled to play against the Chinese national youth team, Wuhan Zall and Tianjin Tianhai as a warm-up during the training session here. They will make their debut at the EAFF E-1 football Championship on December 10, taking on apan.
