Shanghai, May 30: Former Argentina coach Sergio Batista was introduced as the new coach of Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday after signing with the big-spending Chinese Super League team for the remainder of the season.
Batista will begin work on Friday and coach his first game on Sunday—a friendly against South African club Moroka Swallows. He will coach his first league game for Shenhua on June 16 after the league's three-week break.
The 49-year-old Batista, who helped Argentina win the 1986 World Cup as a player and coached the Argentine Olympic team to the gold medal in Beijing, signed a six-month contract, with the possibility to extend for another year.
Batista arrived in China last week and met on Monday with Shenhua's star signing, former Chelsea player Nicolas Anelka, who has been part of a five-man coaching lineup since former coach Jean Tigana's departure last month.
He said he likes what he's seen so far on the field.
“They have very good players with very good possibilities. They must grow up on the field and play with more confidence,” Batista said through a translator. “In the future I think the Chinese Super League is going to be a very competitive league.”
Despite signing Anelka from Chelsea in December, Shenhua has been underwhelming on the field. The club has won only three of 12 games so far and sits in ninth place on the table. Tigana was sacked in April after only four months at the helm.
“Obviously we try to change the tactics on the field, but we must work very hard on the other things,” Batista said, adding that the players needed to focus on “the mental part.”
As for Anelka, Batista said he wants the star to be more of a leader on the field.
“I don't want Anelka to play only to score goals. I think he's one of the best players in the world but I want to keep him back on the field to play with his partners on the team, and then try and score a goal,” he said. “Anelka can give to all the players his experience.”
Chinese clubs have begun splurging on foreign players and coaches in recent years after struggling to overcome poor management issues and endemic corruption. Shanghai has also been linked to a move for Anelka's former Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba, which Batista was hopeful would come through.
“The people from the club do the best things to get Drogba here,” he said. “I think every coach in the world wants to get Drogba on the team and I hope that everything is OK.”
