INTRO: Looking back, Anzhi enjoyed plenty of success last season. The club advanced to the round of 16 in the Europa League, after starting the competition in mid July in the 2nd qualifying round. Guus Hiddink’s men finished 3rd in the league, Anzhi’s first medal, and redemption for 2000, when Torpedo Moscow converted a penalty in added time on the last day of the season to deny Anzhi the bronze medal. Plus, Makhachkala reached the Russian Cup Final, dispatching Dynamo and Zenit in the process.
But Samuel Eto’o and co. could have had more. They trailed CSKA by just two points with 11 matches to play, before inexplicably taking just 2 points combined from Krasnodar, Mordovia, Alania, Krylia Sovetov and Terek in the spring. CSKA finished with 64 points to Anzhi’s 53, while Zenit cruised into second with 62 to snag the second Champion’s League place. Adding insult to injury, Anzhi crashed out of the Europa League on a last-gasp goal from Newcastle United and fell to CSKA in the Russian Cup Final on penalties.
Coming into the new season, Anzhi’s sights are set on Champions League qualification. Injuries to several wing players, Andrei Eschenko, Yuri Zhirkov and Arseni Logashov, leave the team a bit short-handed, particularly on defense, but several key additions - Igor Denisov, Aleksandr Kokorin, Aleksei Ionov and Chris Samba - mean that once healthy, Anzhi will have one of the deepest and most talented squads in the RPL.
GREATEST STRENGTH: Depth, outside of the back line. Anzhi have six top-notch options on offense - Samuel Eto’o, Lacina Traore, Aleksandr Kokorin, Willian, Yuri Zhirkov and Mbarak Boussoufa - plus talented youngsters Aleksei Ionov, Oleg Shatov and Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez. There’s a chance Carcela-Gonzalez will leave this summer, but Anzhi certainly have the tools to score in bunches and compete on three fronts (domestic league, Europa League and Russian Cup).
The center and defensive midfield positions are loaded, too, featuring Jucilei, Odil Akhmedov, Igor Denisov and Lassana Diarra.
GREATEST WEAKNESS: It’s on the back line that Anzhi will struggle the most. Left back Andrei Eschenko, who started for the Russian national team last fall and winter, is out until at least December. Right back Arseni Logashov, who’s earned several call-ups from Fabio Capello, is also returning from injury, though he should be ready to play within a few weeks. In the meantime, Anzhi veterans Rasim Tagirbekov and Ali Gadzhibekov will likely see significant time at the wide-back position. Ewerton, Joao Carlos and Chris Samba will anchor the defense in front of goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov.
Joao Carlos and Chris Samba were Hiddink’s favorite combination last fall, before the Congolese’s unexpected flight to England, and will likely play together often this season. But Anzhi need 24-year-old Ewerton, or perhaps Tagirbekov or Gadzhibekov, both familiar with the center back position, to improve. It appears 31-year-old Joao Carlos’s best years are behind him and there’s no guarantee that Samba will return to the form he was in last fall or that he’ll stick around forever. The best bet is that Anzhi will bring in another defensive player or two, either this summer or during the winter, but until then they’ll need a mix of good health and improved performances to allow Anzhi to mount a serious title challenge.
KEY PLAYERS: Willian and Eto’o. They’re Anzhi’s most expensive players and were acquired by Guus Hiddink and Suleyman Kerimov to provide more than a third-place finish in the league and Russian Cup Final appearance. Willian missed a month during the spring due to injury and even when he returned never quite had the impact the team had hoped he would. One goal and three assists in 13 appearances was a disappointment.
Eto’o excelled last season, earning Player of the Year honors from Championat.com, recording 21 goals and 12 assists in 44 appearances, but he can’t be happy about a third straight season without Champions League play. There’s talk he will re-sign with Anzhi after his contract ends next summer, but that will probably only happen if he can lead the team to a Champions League berth.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget about Guus Hiddink and new assistant coach Rene Meulensteen, fresh from Manchester United. They’re responsible for integrating Anzhi’s new pieces - something Hiddink struggled to do much of last season. If they can nail down the right schemes, perhaps Anzhi fans will finally get to enjoy a dynamic, free-flowing offense.
TRANSFERS/DEPARTURES REVIEW: Guus Hiddink’s decision to return for one more year was huge, especially from a recruitment standpoint. It’s hard to know if Igor Denisov, Aleksandr Kokorin or Chris Samba would have agreed to play for a less proven coach and guys like Yuri Zhirkov and Lass Diarra may have decided to leave in his absence. The signings of 24-year-old Kuban midfielder Aleksei Ionov and 25-year-old Volga goalie Mikhail Kerzhakov are also positive. Ionov is on the fringes of the national team and will likely see decent playing time on the right wing. Kerzhakov played well as the first-choice goalie at Volga last season and will be the primary back-up to Vladimir Gabulov with Evgeny Pomazan on loan at Ural.
19-year-old Dagestani forward Serder Serderov is also on loan at newly-promoted Ural in what should be an excellent opportunity for both him and Pomazan to earn regular playing time. Fellow striker Nikita Burmistrov remains on loan at Amkar. 25-year-old midfielder Kamil Agalarov has signed with Rostov, while defender Emir Spahic returned to Sevilla and forward Fedor Smolov is back at Dynamo, both from loans.
Finally, Brazilian superstar Roberto Carlos, who served as team director for the last season and a half, has taken over as head coach at Turkish side Sivasspor.
BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: Anzhi are finally able to balance a frightening offense with a healthy, physical back line, led once again by Chris Samba and the grizzly Vladimir Gabulov. The club reaches the semifinals of the Europa League, wins the Russian league going away and makes it a domestic double in the Russian Cup. During the spring, Eto’o and Hiddink sign on for another year, ensuring Anzhi will enjoy continued stability in its first-ever Champions League appearance.
WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: More injuries on the back line neutralize the offense and Anzhi muddle through the Europa League group stage, before exiting in the round of 32. Domestically, it’s another 3rd-place finish, this time an unqualified disappointment, and numerous players on the current squad, including Willian, Eto’o and Diarra make their escape. Hiddink declines to return and Anzhi spend several weeks conducting a messy, high-profile coaching search and get turned down by their first 3-4 options. Kerimov still has money to spend, but Anzhi don’t reach the Champions League until 2016 at the earliest.
INTERESTING FACTS: American pop star Cher and rapper Flo Rida headlined Anzhi Arena’s official opening on June 1. Despite talk that the club would build a 45,000-seat arena in Makhachkala, those plans have been put on hold. Anzhi Arena is simply an extensive reconstruction of abandoned Khazar Stadium, where Anzhi played from 2003-2006. The next facility to be built in Dagestan will likely be a first-class training base for the team, which currently lives in Moscow and flies to Makhachkala a day or two before home matches. With the club also having announced plans to construct a base in Moscow, it appears the long-term plan is for Anzhi to split its time 50-50 between Makhachkala and Moscow.
Because of UEFA’s ban on European cup matches in Dagestan and the entire North Caucasus region, Anzhi will host Europa League matches at Saturn Stadium, located in Ramenskoye, a commuter town southeast of Moscow.
KEY EARLY SEASON FIXTURE: Anzhi travel to St. Petersburg in Week 5 to face Zenit, marking Igor Denisov’s first return to the stadium where he played for 12 seasons. The crowd’s reaction will be talked about in the press nearly as much as the match itself, which will be an excellent early-season test for two clubs expected to challenge for the title.
SEASON PREDICTION: Anzhi have strengthened enough, unlike their direct rivals, that they’ll just pip Spartak, Zenit and CSKA to 1st. The Europa League campaign will also be a success, as Anzhi manage to win over European audiences with an exciting offense and run to the semifinals. Little emphasis will be placed on the Russian Cup, given Premier League and Europa League competition, and Anzhi will depart at the quarterfinal round in a surprise upset.
Author: Andy Shenk
I discovered football when my family moved to Russia in the early 2000′s. I’ll never forget sprinting around my house after Russia qualified for Euro 2008, belting out the Russian national anthem. Since 2011, I’ve supported Anzhi in all its inspiring glory and heartbreaking dysfunction. Also Andrei Eschenko’s #1 American fan.
Who could have imagined that less than a month later Kerimov decides to change the team and sold all of his star players.At last Anzhi Makhachkala was another fluke of Russian football.
We don’t know yet if Kerimov will sell that many stars, at least not for a while. And it seems likely Anzhi will still be very competitive, though not Champions League material. Certainly a big surprise, though, for most everyone.