Fabio Cannavaro says the pressure of living in the Chinese Super League's locked-down competition area is beginning to take a mental toll on his Guangzhou Evergrande players.

The Italian head coach said that after almost six weeks of living in the bubble, where matches are being played behind closed doors and players must follow strict anti-virus protocols, agitation has begun to creep into his squad. Cannavaro, though, is at a loss as to how to improve the situation.

"How can I help my players? I want to see which player can help me. It has been more than seven months since I've seen my family. We all have families," the 46-year-old former World Cup winner said through an interpreter.

"And I found during the recent matches that some players, including some on the bench and other staff, began to show agitation. I hope we can calm down."

Cannavaro's Shandong Luneng counterpart, Li Xiaopeng, believes his rotation system can help alleviate the psychological strain. Xiao said he would continue to make changes to his starting XI for the remaining fixtures, even if that adversely affects Luneng's performances.

"Because we have to spend every day in this area, we have been under huge mental pressure, which can blunt your reactions on the field. Then you can easily get injured," said Xiao.

"I am determined to carry on with the rotation system, even if that means we will lose some games. Nothing is more important than the players' health."

The truncated 2020 CSL campaign features 16 teams split into two groups－one in Dalian and one in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Each group is based in one hotel, with teams playing a tournament-style competition. Evergrande returns to action with a derby against Guangzhou R&F on Friday.

Defending champion Evergrande currently sits top of Group A after eight matches, three points ahead of second-place Luneng. Shanghai SIPG leads the way in Suzhou-based Group B.

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