Rubin Kazan Season Preview

This preview was co-authored by David from @RubinKazanUK - a top source for English language Rubin news and discussions.

INTRO: Rubin Kazan broke through in 2008, surprisingly winning the Russian Premier League on back-to-back occasions behind Head Coach Kurban Berdyev’s organization and some individual talents perfectly placed in his system to shine. At this point Rubin put their name on the worldwide footballing map, famously beating Barcelona at their peak at Camp Nou. Since then have slipped in the league down to a sixth place finish last year. Still Rubin have maintained some tournament success, winning the Russian Cup in 2012. Last year Rubin had a successful run in the Europa League. Rubin did not lose in the group stages and were narrowly beaten by eventual champions Chelsea in the quarterfinals.

Rubin’s transfer policy has been hit or miss since 2010, with some gems unearthed like Bibras Natkho, who has developed into an excellent midfielder. Some big money transfers like Carlos Eduardo (20 million Euro) have not panned out and Rubin are still waiting to realize the potential of talented Frenchman Yann M’Vila, who is suffering from off the field legal issues.

Also of note, Kazan Arena will open in 2013 and will be a great upgrade over Soviet-era Tsentralny Stadium. It will host World Cup matches in 2018. It remains to be seen if the new arena will lead to increased attendances for Rubin, as Kazan is traditionally first and foremost a hockey city. (For more Rubin history, check out RFN contributor Rob Dillon’s Rubin Club Profile on his excellent Russian football site, More Than Arshavin.)

GREATEST STRENGTH: On paper, the midfield. Natkho, Roman Eremenko, and M’Vila are all great players in their own right. They have had trouble clicking on the field and need to gel. Rubin also has some great depth in midfield, with Kislyak, Ryazantsev, and new signing Kulik, and then a couple of very promising reserve players in Alisher Dzhalilov and Nikita Bocharov, who after their loans at Neftekhimik, should feature at some point in the coming season. Natkho is a particular key player in the midfield and has been linked to clubs in Europe.

GREATEST WEAKNESS: Inconsistencies with transfers, as Rubin have been extremely hit or miss. There are some very astute players who have come in recently and performed very well, such as Natkho, R. Eremenko, Marcano and Rondon for a combined €23m. On the flipside, Rubin signed Sergei Davydov, A. Eremenko, Carlos Eduardo, Gokhan Tore, Oba Martins and Nelson Valdez, who cost roughly €35m, and barely made an impact on the first team set up.

KEY PLAYER: Gökdeniz Karadeniz, a mainstay in attack since arriving at Rubin in 2008 from Turkey.

DEPARTURES/TRANSFER REVIEW: So far, Rubin’s transfer market has been effective. Rubin have dropped some deadweight and costly wage earners like Valdez, A. Eremenko, Tore and Davydov, while adding two Russians to the squad, Kulik (Kuban) and Getigezhev (Rostov). There has been plenty-a-rumour going around, but there are positions in the squad that need bolstering. In particular, adding striker help will be important with just new signing Aleksandr Prudnikov, Dyadyun, potentially on the way out, and Salomon Rondon available. A winger, center back, and a right back to replace Kaleshin are also needed.

Prudnikov is an interesting free transfer. A former hot Spartak prospect, Prudnikov has bounced around. Rubin will be the 7th RPL side he will play for and he is still not 25. But it is worth a shot to find a home at Rubin as many players have found their niche in Kazan under Berdyev.

Ideally, perpetually injured Carlos Eduardo would be permanently transferred to somewhere in Brazil (where he is currently on loan), but that is not likely at this point.

BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: If everything goes perfectly, a dream season would Champions League qualification in the league (meaning top two places). With Anzhi, Spartak and Zenit all strengthening even further, Championship League qualification is the best Rubin can currently hope for. In Europe, getting past the group stage of the Europa League would also be ideal. Making the same stage, the quarterfinals, as Rubin did in last year’s Europa League would be over achieving. A domestic cup victory on top would add to this scenario.

WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR THE SEASON: If everything falls apart, Rubin fail to qualify for Europe and fail to make the Europa League group stage. Rubin will enter the competition in the second qualifying round against Jagodina of Serbia on July 18. They then will have to play in the third qualifying round and again in the playoff round. It is a long way to go for qualification.

INTERESTING FACTS: Turkmen Head Coach Kurban Berdyev has been with Rubin since 2001, and led Rubin to promotion to the Russian Premier League in 2002. In Rubin’s debut year in the RPL he led them to third place. He led Rubin to their first RPL championship ever in 2008, and followed it up by successfully defending it in 2009. He is known to carry his beads with him wherever he goes and will always be seen with them on the sideline.