Benitez serving up fresh approach at Dalian

Rafa Benitez is employing his very own brand of ping-pong diplomacy as part of his ongoing efforts to transform Dalian Yifang into a Super League superpower.

The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle boss, who took the reins in July, told BBC podcast Football Daily that he sometimes uses table tennis rackets to get his message across to players, admitting his Mandarin skills aren't quite up to scratch yet.

"I was explaining how you kick the ball in the same way you position the racket and the different effects (each angle) has. Believe me, you have to use everything that you have at your disposal," said the Spaniard.

"We use the video, one-on-one conversations and we go on the pitch and practice every single thing. And we use examples like pingpong or whatever, because you have to be sure the players understand what it is you want to express. "They will follow you but you have to give very clear instructions because in the schools they don't tend to play football when they are kids. And they don't have that habit of competing or doing things that would be normal in Europe, where everyone plays football or rugby in the playground."

Benitez admits the language barrier has been a challenge for him, especially during matches. "Here you also have to consider the translator… so you have to plan everything that you want to say a little bit in advance with your translator to be sure that he passes on the message properly.

"You have to learn some words-ni hao (hello), zao shang hao (good morning), and jian dan (play simple) is a phrase I use a lot. But in the end, the translator is crucial. I have a great translator, Justin. He is doing a great job, but sometimes you are on the touchline and the fourth official is moving him away and then you are on your own. It's not easy.