Football Season Guide

CSKA Moscow start the season once again mentioned as one of the possible contenders for the title. However, they do not really look like a heavyweight contender like a Zenit side that has gone on a signing spree this summer and have a marquee new manager in place, or the champions Spartak, who have retained the core of their squad and look very good. CSKA managed to come through in the Champions League qualifiers in August and earned a place in the group stage of the competition, something that was paramount to their business model. They also did pretty well to snatch 2nd spot ahead of a poor Zenit side in the spring and, overall, Viktor Goncharenko has done really well in his first six months in the job, losing only against Spartak so far. There has been once again disappointingly little action on the transfer front for a squad that clearly needs freshening up. The defence remains extremely ageing and keeper Igor Akinfeev is on the wrong side of 30, even if he enjoyed a superb season last year. The strength of the team is in midfield but Alan Dzagoev has missed lots of games due to injury last year and cannot be relied to stay fit. With Roman Eremenko now officially released by the club, there is certainly need of one more good body in the engine room. Things are looking bright in attack though as Vitinho and Fedor Chalov struck up a very good partnership at the end of last season. Chalov in particular seems to be on the cusp of a real breakthrough to the mainstream this year and will be one to watch. Yet, Goncharenko will need a lot of things to go his side's way and injuries to be pretty much non-existing for this squad to mount a serious shot for the title.