Garcia Oversees First Training Session as New Kitc

Newly-arrived Kitchee head coach Abraham Garcia wasted no time to put his new charges to work on Wednesday morning, as the Spanish tactician oversaw his first training session under heavy downpour and met up with the gathered local media after the official workout. The forty-one year-old Garcia is certainly a seasoned football coach, having started his coaching career since the tender age of sixteen, including stints with youth teams of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, as well as being in charge of Chinese Second Division side Yinchuan Helanshan. The Spanish tactician maintained he is quite familiar with the current Kitchee side, even though it is his first time coaching in Hong Kong. “I have been following Kitchee over the past two to three seasons and have even met some of the team’s Spanish players in China,” said Garcia. “I know Hong Kong football is continuously improving and Kitchee is one of the top teams in Hong Kong, having won the league title four times over the past five seasons. Keeping up with such a track record will be an enormous challenge but I am confident that I can make Kitchee much stronger.” The coaching veteran also downplayed any thoughts that he might be tinkering with the team’s current playing style. “We will try to maintain the current playing style because we already have the best players and facilities to keep moving forward with this particular style. I believe for the benefit of the team, the supporters and the players, this is the best possible way to move forward,” offered Garcia. Kitchee promoted four youth team players to the first team squad for the new season and Garcia took the chance to offer some words of wisdom to the hugely talented quartet. “As young players, they need to remember to give it their best in every single training session,” stated Garcia. “I am all for giving talented young players their due opportunities and help them both on and off the pitch. Yet these players need to understand that they need to be the ones to force the door open – not to expect anyone to open the door for them and simply hand them the opportunity.”