On May 15th, CSKA Moscow won the league for the second time in a row with Zoran Tosic scoring the only goal of the game. It was a fantastic finish to the season for CSKA, as they swept their final 10 matches to edge out Zenit and Lokomotiv for the title. The championship-clinching goal from Zoran Tosic is certain to go down in Russian football history.
I have always liked Tosic and think he is one of the best players in the Russian Premier League. I also feel that without Tosic this season, CSKA would have failed to win the title. Tosic has been a star for the Moscow side: His pace, skill and his shooting ability are but a few of the things that make him such a great player for CSKA. His style of play fits well at the club and he is always good at linking up with his teammates. For example, Doumbia and Tosic connect nicely and are very effective when playing together. They play to each other’s strengths and always provide support for each other when attacking.
Tosic has been fantastic this season, with 11 goals and 4 assists to his name, as well as 2 goals and 1 assist in the Champions League-a huge improvement over last season. This shows us that Tosic worked hard on improving his gameplay and it has paid off very well. He plays tough, too, even when CSKA are struggling. Tosic believed in CSKA after the 2-1 defeat in the Champions League game at home to Manchester City, telling the press that “CSKA are not out of group D”. This shows that he was motivated even when a lot of the fans, players and probably the manager may have been down and frustrated at the nearly-impossible task of getting CSKA into the round of 16. The team did fail to progress to the next round of the Champions League, but at least Tosic kept his head high throughout the campaign, a quality that was essential for CSKA’s spring charge.
Tosic with teammates following his championship strike.
One shocking thing about Tosic is that he turned 27 on April 28th. He isn’t as young as I had thought, and it may mean that Tosic will want to leave the club as he has been there for 3 years now and could be ready for a different challenge. I’m not sure where Tosic would go, but I know it wouldn’t be another club in the RPL.
It would be a tough blow to CSKA if Tosic left and I expect CSKA will try and keep him for at least one more year. It certainly helps that CSKA will advance directly to the group stage of the Champions League after winning the league. I know this season went horribly wrong there, but they did have a hard group and were well off form. Next season, I think they have a chance. It could be a great opportunity for Tosic and CSKA to show the world what they’ve got.
Tosic is also a key player for the Serbian national team. He starts almost much every game for Serbia and is always a threat for opponents to deal with. Unfortunately, Serbia didn’t qualify for the World Cup with Belgium and Croatia advancing from the group. I’m sure Tosic will be gutted that Serbia are missing out on football’s biggest event, but I’m sure he will be looking to the future and have his eyes set on getting his country to Euro 2016 in France. It’s certainly a realistic goal for Tosic and the rest of the Serbian squad.
Overall, whether you love him or you hate him, you must admit that Tosic is a great player and has been getting better and better. He has really found his feet at CSKA Moscow after his career at Manchester United never really took off. With the Russian football league improving quickly and new players arriving from abroad every season, Zoran Tosic is among the competition’s brightest stars at the moment.
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