Football Season Guide

After nearly 20 years of waiting, Spartak Moscow finally won the title again and, after what was a dream season for the Reds, the hopes for the future are very bright. Coach, Massimo Carrera, earned legendary status after just one season in charge. However, he now faces the much harder task of defending the title and maintaining a strong presence in the Champions League in-between. Despite last season's successes, Spartak are yet to complete a major summer signing and the only new arrival is that of the right-back, Petkovic, who is seen as a back-up option. Tigiev also made his move to Moscow permanent but the instrumental Zobnin needed knee surgery in the summer and he will miss the entire first part of the campaign. With a very small squad at hand, Carrera knows that maintaining the very high level of performance from last season and at the same time playing regularly in midweek in the Champions League will require something special. Spartachi are buoyant after the title and they have every reason to be but the truth is that only if at least 4-5 new players join the squad this summer, the Reds will stand a chance of being competitive for a second consecutive year. At the minute, the roles in the 4-2-3-1 formation seem pretty clear, with only a few uncertainties left in terms of the preferred starting XI. Rebrov will continue to be first choice between the posts, while Tigiev or Eschenko will be starting at right-back, with Dmitri Kombarov destined to fill the other side of the back-four. In the middle Kutepov and Jikia provide cover for Bocchetti and Tasci, although the first two are likely to get plenty of starts domestically as the foreigners are tipped to be starting in the Champions League. Glushakov and Fernando are the undisputable pairing in the double pivot role. Ze Luis and Luis Adriano will be rotating to lead the attack, while Promes has a guaranteed place on the right wing. Veteran Samedov or Melgarejo are tipped to replace the injured Zobnin down the other flank, until he is ready to return in 2018, while Popov and Ananidze will be competing for the number ten role. All in all Spartak have some really good players in their ranks but the obvious lack of depth and the extra distraction of European games in most midweeks will seriously test the Reds this season. They are still in negotiations with at least four players though and if Carrera adds more depth to his squad, there is no reason why Spartak won't be involved in the battle for the title once again.