CSKA Moscow Season Preview

INTRO: The season after a title is always the more difficult, and I think CSKA obviously expect a more difficult season than the last one. They ‘ll have to manage the Champions League and the league. Moreover, CSKA may lose key players on the transfer market. It is already certain that Keisuke Honda will be no longer a CSKA player and he must be replaced. They must also consider the future of the central defence, who are aging a little. The sale of Uros Cosic to Pescara and the possible loan of Viktor Vasin don’t fit into the logic of finding young replacements.

GREATEST STRENGTH: All the players from Igor Akinfeev to Ahmed Musa have many good qualities, but the most important thing is the collective cohesion between the players. There is apparently a healthy atmosphere conducive to good performance. CSKA have talented players who are at the service of the team and play for each other. Players have found their mark in Leonid Slutsky’s 4-2-3-1 formation. With the permutation of offensive players, CSKA are a formidable team in counterattack or through attacks built from the defence.

GREATEST WEAKNESS: CSKA’s biggest weakness is probably the lack of players able to make a difference on the bench and recurrent injuries to some major players. An ability to fix this problem will determine CSKA’s success this season. The economic side could also be a weakness compared to Zenit, Anzhi or Spartak, but CSKA spend intelligently and are wise with their money.

KEY PLAYERS: Pontus Wernbloom and Ramus Elm. The Swedish pair will have to repeat their performances from last season. The midfield is a key sector and, as in many leagues, winning the midfield battle provides a big advantage over an opponent. They were perfect last season, defensively and in offensive support. They kept the team top of the table until the end of the season and they bring a winning culture to CSKA and a strong mind in difficult times.

DEPARTURES/TRANSFER REVIEW: There are a lot of rumors around CSKA. “Who to replace Keisuke Honda?” is the most asked question around the club. I heard chief scout Anton Emenov was traveling a lot in South America recently.

There have also been several offers from CSKA for Club Brugge offensive midfielder Maxime Lestienne but both offers have been rejected by the Belgian club’s Sporting Director who absolutely wants to keep his player. Paulinho is headed to Tottenham despite advanced negotiations with CSKA.

We don’t know much about what happens behind the scenes around CSKA, except that Keisuke Honda expects to leave the club this summer with six months left until the end of his contract.

Dzagoev also announced he will leave,but I think he will remain this season to secure a spot in the Russian national team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: CSKA will handle with success both the Champions League and the domestic league and secure qualification next season’s Champions League. They’ll take advantage of Zenit and Anzhi’s mistakes and retain the title. Also, new recruits and players who were in need of playing time last season (due to injury) will find their places in the team to allow for greater turnover during the season. Finally, CSKA hold on to the Russian Cup.

WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: A poor transfer market; disputes between Leonid Slutsky and his players will create divisions in the locker room and a bad atmosphere. Also the accumulation of bad results and early failure in the Champions League will make for a complicated end to the season (5th or 6th place).

INTERESTING FACT: CSKA now have a new sponsorship from IDGC Holding. The club will receive €20m each year, besides the €3.5m from Aeroflot.

KEY EARLY-SEASON FIXTURE: The Week 4 RPL match vs Rubin in Kazan could be an important fixture in the early season because it’s CSKA’s first big confrontation in the league and then CSKA face Kuban in another very important game the following week.

The first match of the Champions League Group Stage will also be a key fixture because 3-4 days later, CSKA will face rivals Spartak Moscow in the derby. A victory in the Champions League could be good preparation for this important match.

SEASON PREDICTION: In light of opposing teams’ investments, I think that CSKA will probably end the league in 3rd place. This might be positive, given the new and improving Anzhi and Zenit who intends to retrieve their title. But on the financial side it would be a failure. The attractiveness of clubs like CSKA often depends on participation in the Champions League.