Last weekend, CSKA Moscow secured their sixth Russian championship after beating Rubin Kazan 1-0 in the final fixture of the season. On their road to the title, the Army Men scored 51 goals and won 20 games. They did however also have to overcome several challenges, and their season definitely had its difficulties. In this article, we’ll explore the highs and lows, and then look on towards the future where CSKA face a couple of important decisions.
Best Game of the season: RFPL Week 9: Mordovia Saransk 4-6 CSKA Moscow
No fewer than 18 goals were scored in the two RFPL games between CSKA and Mordovia this season, and while many would pick CSKA’s 7-1 victory in the spring as the highlight, the 6-4 victory in Saransk in the spring proved just how strong a football team CSKA are. Down 3-0 and reduced to ten men after just 15 minutes, the Army Men fought their way back into the match, to win 6-4 after an amazing second half.
Worst Game of the season: Cup Final: CSKA Moscow 1-4 Zenit St. Petersburg
The worst game of the season for CSKA was without much doubt the cup final loss against Zenit St. Petersburg. The Red-Blues reached the final after beating Ufa and Krasnodar, but the game turned out to be one long and painful disappointment. The Army Men were awful almost from the beginning, and made tons of defensive mistakes which lead to two penalty kicks converted by Hulk and a red card for Vasiliy Berezutskiy.
Key players:
The Most Valuable:
- Ahmed Musa
The Nigerian striker has been amazing this season, brilliantly replacing Seydou Doumbia who left the club this winter after a great first half of the season.
Musa set a personal record of 13 goals and five assists in the RFPL, and proved to be the most valuable player in the squad this season. He has improved immensely since joining CSKA in January 2012.
Runners up:
- Pontus Wernbloom
Wernbloom is probably the best defensive midfielder in the RFPL. He has the mental strength of a warrior, something his 15 yellow cards this season proves, and he provides the defensive stability the more offensive minded midfielders need to perform at their absolute best.
- Igor Akinfeev
Although he made more mistakes than usual, club legend and captain Akinfeev remains a key player in the team, and he holds a major role in the squad. In the last game of the season against Rubin, he made one of the best saves of the season, which secured the title, and his influence in the squad should not be underestimated.
- Alan Dzagoev
Dzagoev has evolved recently. He has lost a bit offensively due to his repositioning deeper down the pitch, but he is a physically stronger player now, and has taken a more important role in Slutsky’s squad. He also helped a lot by scoring and assisting many goals during the final sprint of the title race.
Surprise of the Season:
- The break through of Aleksandr Golovin
Golovin is the leading star in the new generation of Russian talents coming into the RFPL. The offensive midfielder showed some great skills, and contrary to Dmitri Efremov and Konstantin Bazelyuk who both fell short at CSKA despite promising signs in the beginning, Golovin seems to have what it takes to become a regular for both CSKA and Sbornaya.
The Coach:
- Leonid Slutsky, CSKA Moscow & Russia National Team
Slutsky took over as national team coach after Fabio Capello was sacked last autumn, and the experienced Russian has managed to balance the two difficult jobs perfectly by qualifying Russia for the European Championships while winning his third Russian championship with the Army Men. Slutsky is a great tactician, but missing European success is a dark cloud above CSKA’s otherwise good season.
The Positive Side:
- The team cohesion
The morale of the team has been great all season, and it is obvious that the team has played together for a very long time. The 14-game unbeaten streak at the beginning of the season made the atmosphere in the team even better, and even when the side struggled in Europe and domestically in November and December, they stayed strong and united.
Slutsky is the main man behind this happiness, and all the players seem to enjoy their roles in the team, even those who have seen their playing time cut recently.
The Negative Side:
- The European crash
Crashing out in the group stage has unfortunately become a recurring phenomenon in the previous years. CSKA are doing well domestically, but can’t translate this form to European competition. This year, they finished last in their Champions League group behind Manchester United, Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven.
- The weak defence
It has become painfully clear that Vasiliy Berezutskiy and Sergey Ignashevich are past their peak, and they have especially struggled against Champions League opponents.
Due to the foreigner limit, and the lack of good Russian central defenders, CSKA have postponed the renewal of their defence, but the Army Men can’t afford to keep waiting. If they want to be more competitive in the Champions League, they’ll need to improve defensively quickly.
The Future:
- New Stadium, new ambitions?
CSKA’s new stadium is almost finished, and the Army Men are expected to be ready to move in by the beginning of next season. After playing at Arena Khimki, the new stadium should increase the club’s attendance and revenue, which will help improve the quality of the squad. It could also be the last missing piece to solve the European puzzle, as CSKA should be able to increase their transfer budget at least a bit.
________________________________________________________________________________
Leave a Reply