Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Temporary Hiatus Announcement

Hey everyone. Due to exams over the next few weeks, I will unfortunately be unable to update From Beyond the Iron Curtain on as regular a basis as I am now. My exam schedule works out that I can continue to write Matchweek Recaps, but I'll have to skip Match Reports for the next two weeks and both this week's and next week's Rumour Roundups. This means that the next article you'll see up here will be the Matchweek Recap on August 6th, followed by the Recap on the 13th after which regular releases will resume. Thank you all for your patience and I look forward to continuing regular content soon. See y'all in a few weeks time

2013-14 Matchweek 3 Recap: CSKA and Spartak triumph in separate Moscow derbies

This week in the RPL got even further out of hand when it comes to penalties, with the 8 awarded even higher than the 5 and 6 in the two previous weeks and taking the total this season to 19. In other news, Spartak and CSKA defeated Dynamo and Lokomotiv respectively in Moscow derbies this weekend.

football formationsZenit 1-1 Kuban
Zenit replaced debuting left back Dzhamaldin Khodzhaniyazov with club legend Andrei Arshavin, who put the hosts ahead in the 65th minute, but Zenit paid for their weakened defence when Gigel Bucur equalised 10 minutes from time to level the match at 1-1, which was arguably a fair result to continue a disappointing start to Zenit's season.

Dynamo 1-4 Spartak
Jose Manuel Jurado inspired Spartak to four goal first half lead with an impressive brace, while Pavel Yakovlev and Emmanuel Emenike each fired home as well. Spartak sat back after the break and allowed Andriy Voronin to score a penalty, but still held onto the game to take a satisfying 4-1 win.

Ural 1-2 Volga
Ural went ahead from an early Spartak Gogniev penalty but suffered two second half goals, including another penalty, this time scored by Andrei Karyaka to fall to fellow bottom feeder Volga 2-1.

Rostov 3-0 Tomsk
Rostov continued their surprising and impressive start to the season while Tomsk carried on their dismal form in the clash between the two sides. Artem Dzyuba scored a hat-trick, including a penalty, to take his tally to 6 this season, an even more impressive number considering that Rostov have only scored 7 in total. Dzyuba could have had a 4th when another penalty was awarded, but Timofei Kalachev opted to take it and failed to convert, leaving the scoreline at 3-0.

Lokomotiv 1-2 CSKA
The soon-to-depart Keisuke Honda put CSKA ahead less than 20 minutes in before Lokomotiv threw everything forward and earned an equaliser through Dmitri Tarasov 15 minutes from time. Unfortunately, they were punished just 8 minutes later when Ahmed Musa put away the winner to end the weekend's second Moscow derby 2-1 in CSKA's favour.

Krylia 1-1 Anzhi
Despite going ahead just before the hour mark through Samuel Eto'o, Anzhi never really got going in a match they probably should have dominated and they were punished for their lacklustre performance by an 82nd minute Roman Vorobyov equaliser to leave Samara with just a point from the 1-1 draw and continue a poor start to the season.

Terek 0-0 Rubin
This was a goalless draw and I was only able to catch glimpses of it, so I don't have much to say other than Bibras Natkho looked impressive like he always does.

Krasnodar 2-1 Amkar
Despite going behind before the break via a Martin Jakubko goal, Krasnodar hit 2 goals in 3 minutes to take a tightly contested match that really should have been much more one sided when looking at the lineups.

Table:
1 - Spartak
2 - Rostov
3 - CSKA
4 - Kuban
5 - Rubin
6 - Amkar
7 - Volga
8 - Krasnodar
9 - Lokomotiv
10 - Zenit
11 - Dynamo
12 - Anzhi
13 - Terek
14 - Krylia
15 - Ural
16 - Tom

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Dynamo 1-4 Spartak: Spartak dominate Moscow derby to make it 3 wins from 3

Spartak Moscow heaped on the goals in a confident first half against Dynamo, going up 4-0 at the break, allowing them to let off in the second half and eventually take the derby 4-1.

Spartak lined up in their typical 4-2-3-1 formation, with McGeady & Yakovlev taking up the flanks, Costa & Glushakov lining up in the double pivot and Carioca alongside Bocchetti in the heart of defence in the face of Sergei Bryzgalov's injury. Meanwhile, Dynamo lined up in a similar 4-2-3-1, but playmaker Roman Zobnin had to be replaced by Andriy Voronin early on and the lineup ended playing out like a 4-4-2 for the majority of the match (see diagram).

football formationsDynamo started strongly, having the majority of chances in the first 5 minutes as Spartak looked weak in possession. However, Spartak's pressure on Dynamo's defence gave Jose Jurado a shooting opportunity, which he capitalised on, slotting the ball low to the left of the goal to give Spartak a 1-0 lead on 6 minutes. It didn't take long for the visitors to double their lead, when Aiden McGeady sent a long cross for Pavel Yakovlev, who controlled well and finished confidently bast Shunin. Despite being down two goals within 15 minutes, Dynamo fought on, but with little success. Their misery was heaped on even further at the half hour mark, when Leandro Fernandez made a poor attempt at a back pass. Emmanuel Emenike latched onto the ball and coolly finished to give Spartak a three goal lead. Spartak then finally got their last goal of the game just 3 minutes before half time, when Jurado sent a rocket into the top left corner from long range and send Dynamo into the half four goals down.

Spartak came out in the second half much more reserved than they had before the break. Dynamo however, pushed much harder for goals, but had little success. Voronin came close with a low shot to the right of goal in just after the hour, while Kasaev shot over the bar minutes later. Dynamo's only goal came after Salvatore Bocchetti fouled Kasaev in the box in the 79th minute, giving away a penalty. Voronin coolly converted, even though Pesyakov managed to get a hand to the ball. Just minutes later, substitute Vladimir Sobolev sent a volley just over the bar, but Dynamo had to settle for a 4-1 loss in one of the biggest derbies in the RPL.

Man of the Match: Jose Manuel Jurado
This was a tough choice, as it also could have gone to Pavel Yakovlev or Sergei Parshivlyuk, but Jurado gets the man of the match award for his two goals and constant creative threat. Both of his goals were impressive finishes and he completed all of his 42 attempted passes.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Vagner Love reportedly signs for Shandong Luneng

This week has seen a dearth of transfer rumours, so I decided that I'd replace the regular rumour roundup with this special Vagner Love edition.

Chinese side Shandong Luneng have announced the signing of CSKA Moscow's forward Vagner Love. Love only rejoined CSKA in January and was spectacular in the second half of the 2012-13 RPL season, often playing in the hole behind Ahmed Musa. This transfer has not been rumoured at all, and by all accounts Love is happy in Moscow. The most interesting thing about this transfer is that CSKA have failed to confirm it as yet and Shandong are the only party involved that have given any indication that a move is on the cards.

There are a number of possibilities that could possibly explain why Shandong are the only party leaking this to the press. The first possibility is that CSKA is just slow in announcing the news and that the move has already been completed, which is definitely. The next option is that Shandong are getting ahead of themselves and have released a pre-prepared announcement before the transfer has actually been completed and a deal is currently being negotiated, which I believe is the most likely option as it has happened on numerous occasions with other clubs. The final possibility is that Shandong have announced the move as a way to get free press and that CSKA have had little to no contact with them. By claiming that Love has signed, news outlets from across the world will gain interest in Shandong and increase their international profile.

Regardless, more cannot be discerned until CSKA makes an official announcement, at which point things should become clearer. Such an announcement should not be more than a few hours away, but I personally cannot believe that CSKA would sell Love for anything short of a king's ransom. The inevitable loss of Keisuke Honda will hit them hard, and losing Love would all but end the club's hope for a second consecutive title.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

2013-14 Matchweek 2 Recap: Spartak only team to have won first two matches

This week, there were a number of victories with a scoreline of 2-1, as the RPL finally got properly underway after a week of draws. This week also continued the trend of a large number of penalties, with 5 across 3 matches, meaning that the total after just two weeks is 11.

football formations Dynamo 2-1 Anzhi
Dynamo went ahead early through a Pavel Solomatin goal and Anzhi's troubles were further compounded when Ewerton was sent off just 7 minutes later. Despite being outnumbered, Anzhi equalised in the 83rd minute through a Christopher Samba header, but were punished in stoppage time when Andriy Voronin converted a penalty to give Dynamo the win.

Tom 1-2 Kuban
Kuban pulled away from Tom inside 13 minutes with goals from Ibrahima Balde and Aras Ozbiliz, before Kirill Panchenko pulled one back for Tom. For the most part, the match continued without much of note and the final result was a 2-1 victory to Kuban.

Volga 1-2 Lokomotiv
After a dull first half, Maicon sent Lokomotiv ahead in the 63rd minute with a well timed header, but the visitors couldn't celebrate for long as Mulumba Mukendi equalised just 4 minutes later. With both sides throwing everything forward, it was right back Roman Shishkin who gave Lokomotiv the win with an excellent free kick in the 87th minute.

Terek 1-1 Amkar
Terek got off to a good start in the 12th minute with a goal from Igor Lebedenko, although both sides played fairly well for the entirety of the first half. Martin Jakubko got Amkar's equaliser in the 55th and the match ended at 1-1, although it was notable for the large amount of yellow cards given.

Rubin 2-1 Zenit
Danny put Zenit up in just the 6th minute in Kazan, before Gokdeniz Karadeniz equalised for Rubin just after half time. After a back and forth match of many chances, it was Salomon Rondon who got the winner for Rubin in stoppage time with an excellent header and his first goal of the season.

Ural 0-2 Spartak
Neither side was very effective in the first half, but just minutes after the break, substitute Aiden McGeady put Spartak in front. McGeady was involved again when he assisted Emmanuel Emenike's goal in stoppage time to give Spartak a 2-0 win.

Rostov 2-2 Krasnodar
Marcio Abreu gave Krasnodar an early lead, but it was wiped out immediately by Timofei Kalachev's equaliser. Artem Dzyuba gave Rostov the lead with a penalty just after the break, but Wanderson managed to claw one back in the dying minutes of the game to salvage a point for Krasnodar.

CSKA 2-1 Krylia
CSKA got off to a disastrous start against Krylia, losing Georgi Schennikov to a red card in the 8th minute before Alan Dzagoev gave away a penalty which Ilya Maksimov converted to give the visitors a one goal lead. Things went from bad to worse for the host when Dzagoev missed a penalty up the other end by blazing it over the bar. Seydou Doumbia was introduced at the break and scored on a counter just after the hour mark, before winning and converting a penalty 10 minutes from time to give CSKA the win.

Table:
1 - Spartak
2 - Amkar
3 - Dynamo
4 - Rostov
5 - Lokomotiv
6 - CSKA
7 - Rubin
8 - Kuban
9 - Zenit
10 - Anzhi
11 - Volga
12 - Terek
13 - Krasnodar
14 - Ural
15 - Krylia
16 - Tom

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Rubin 2-1 Zenit: Rondon stuns visitors with last minute winner

Rubin took a back and forth game with a late Salomon Rondon winner, downing Zenit by a goal when the result really could have gone either way.

football formationsZenit started promisingly by converting the first chance of the match. Bukharov tapped an Anyukov cross over Sergei Ryzhikov and Danny was there to slot the ball away and give Zenit the lead in only the 6th minute. Rubin however, were the controlling side for most of the first half, having greater possession and a number of close chances. Yann M'Vila had a long shot fumbled by Lodygin in the 19th, but the keeper was able to recover the ball before and Rubin players could follow it up. Despite having less possession, Zenit managed a number of chances on counter attacks, with Aleksandr Bukharov coming close twice after Danny fired across the face of goal. Salomon Rondon came close up the other end, but could not have any impact on the score before half time. Rubin went into the interval undeservedly trailing to Zenit, having been the better side.

Zenit were the only side to make a change at the break, replacing the error-prone Nicolas Lombaerts with Anatoliy Tymoschuk, and immediately looked better for it. The visitors looked more comfortable in possession and physically dominant, but suffered just 6 minutes in when Gokdenis Karadeniz knocked away the equaliser. Karadeniz attempted to score with a bicycle kick from a Prudnikov cross, but missed the ball, coolly slotting away after it fell to his feet in the following scramble. Conceding spurred Zenit into action, and Bukharov was soon replaced by Hulk, who was largely ineffective in a central role in his time on the pitch. With the match drawing to a close, Hulk had his only major chance of the game when he fired straight at Ryzhikov from inside the 6-yard box and failed to get a shot off from the rebound. With the game running deep into stoppage time, Salomon Rondon got his head to an Oleg Kuzmin cross, nodding it goalwards and Lodygin was unable to reach it, giving Rubin a 2-1 win.

Man of the Match: Yann M'Vila
M'Vila was tidy on the ball, completing 93% of his passes, and dominant in defence. He had two shots from range, both on target, and made all of Zenit's midfield look invisible for large stretches of the first half.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

2013-14 Matchweek 1 Recap: 2-2 Draws Galore

This week, the 2013-14 RPL season started and I begin my weekly recap today with this post, which just includes a brief description of every match in the previous week as well as my own personal team of the week. Particularly of note were the trio of 2-2 draws, all of which were breathtaking and unexpected, as well as the 6 penalties across the games this week, which signals a concerning trend in the quality of refereeing in the league.

football formationsDynamo 2-2 Volga
Volga took an shock 2-0 lead within 3 minutes, but Dynamo managed to fight back and equalise by the half hour mark. Neither side were able to put away any of the plethora of chances in the rest of the match and it ended 2-2.

Anzhi 2-2 Lokomotiv
Lokomotiv took a 1-0 lead through Dame N'Doye goal before Samuel Eto'o and Lacina Traore each scored within 4 minutes to to put Anzhi in the lead. Substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko scored on the break to equalise, but Traore went down under extremely light pressure from Vedran Corluka up the other end to win a penalty. Guilherme saved Eto'o's effort to hold onto a 2-2 draw.

Kuban 1-1 Rubin
Rubin lost Aleksandr Ryazantsev to a red card but still managed to get the opening goal of the match through Roman Eremenko. Kuban equalised 15 minutes from time, but failed to find a winner despite having 61% of possession, leaving the score at 1-1 at full time.

Rostov 2-1 Terek
Rostov conceded the first penalty of the match, which Ailton slotted away, before winning one of their own in the closing minutes of the match. Loanee Artem Dzyuba equalised with the chance, before scoring the winner in stoppage time to take the match 2-1.

Amkar 2-0 Tom
Amkar capitalised on 2 penalties in the opening 10 minutes to take the win at home and be the only team to keep a clean sheet this week. Vladimir Rykov got a card in the process of each penalty and was thus sent off, while Georgi Peev scored both to give Amkar the 2-0 victory.

Krylia 1-2 Spartak
Tino Costa had a memorable Spartak debut by scoring in the 18th minute, before Yura Movsisyan followed up with a penalty just 3 minutes later. Luis Caballero pulled one back for Krylia with a wonder goal just after the hour mark, but Krylia's chances were few and far between and they had to settle for a 2-1 loss.

Ural 2-2 CSKA
CSKA were by far the better team in the first half of their match against Ural but only managed one goal through Ahmed Musa before the break. Ural were much improved after the break and Spartak Gogniev scored twice to become the first player to score at least one goal for seven different RPL teams. Vagner Love equalised in the 86th minute and both Pontus Wernbloom and Sergei Ignashevich came close in stoppage time, but were unable to take a winner with the match ending 2-2.

Krasnodar 1-2 Zenit
Zenit went 2 goals up in the first half but conceded just after the break to suffer a nervy second period. Krasnodar were the better side, but couldn't beat the in-form Yuri Lodygin and failed to gain an equaliser. Despite being arguably the worse team, Zenit pulled out a 2-1 win to finish the matchweek.

Table:
1 - Amkar
2 - Rostov
3 - Spartak
4 - Zenit
5 - Anzhi
6 - CSKA
7 - Dynamo
8 - Lokomotiv
9 - Rubin Kuban
10 - Ural
11 - Volga
12 - Kuban
13 - Krasnodar
14 - Krylia
15 - Terek
16 - Tom

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Ural 2-2 CSKA: Ural contain title-holders in return to RPL

Ural have managed a 2-2 draw (the 3rd match with this score in the first matchweek) in their first match back in the Russian Premier League, holding CSKA Moscow despite the early dominance of the visitors.

football formationsCSKA lined up in their predictable 4-2-3-1 formation, but started with a double pivot of Wernbloom and Dzagoev with Honda lining up on the right flank. Ural played their own 4-2-3-1 with Serder Serderov on the right flank and Spartak Gogniev at striker. The match started somewhat predictably, with CSKA having the majority of both possession and chances and coming close through both Zuber and Love within the first 10 minutes. Ural seriously struggled to get the ball out of their half and CSKA were content to spray the ball around the park with little fear of conceding possession. Aleksandr Sapeta was particularly quiet in this period and did little to break up play of any sort. Dzagoev came close from his deeper position with nice aerial control and a half-volley from range, but Pomazan was equal to it and took it easily. CSKA finally took the lead in the 25th minute when Georgi Schennikov put a cross low into the path of an onrushing Ahmed Musa, who easily put it into the back of the net. After the goal, CSKA let off slightly, but were still more than enough to handle the poor Ural. They only managed to come close one more time before the break however, when Honda fired low to the right of the goal, missing the post by millimetres. The visitors thus went into halftime deservedly in the lead.

The Ural side that came out in the second half looked entirely different, despite only one change being made (Artur Sarkisov replacing Aleksandr Erokhin). The hosts immediately went on the front foot and capitalised on some disastrous CSKA defending to equalise just 3 minutes after half time. Zuber's attempted header backwards was too powerful and it fell to Serderov, who slotted it sideways to Spartak Gogniev. Gogniev took a shot first time, but still relied on a deflection to put it past Akinfeev and become the first player to score for seven different RPL clubs. Before long, Zuber was replaced by Rasmus Elm, with Dzagoev shifted to the left wing, but this failed to have a significant effect as Ural began to take a hold of the game in front of their home fans. They were finally rewarded for their effort and went ahead in the 77th minute as Gogniev took his second on a tap in from a low Andrei Gorbanets cross. CSKA finally turned the game back in their favour and were rewarded with an equaliser from Vagner Love on a header from a long Rasmus Elm cross. With the game level once again, CSKA pushed further forward. Pontus Wernbloom had a header cleared off the goal line. Sergei Ignashevich followed up with a strong shot from range which went narrowly over the bar and proved to be the final attempt of the match, ending it at 2-2.

Man of the Match: Spartak Gogniev
With 2 goals against the title holders in a fantastic all-round performance, Gogniev was a constant threat to Igor Akinfeev's goal by exploiting weaknesses in CSKA's defence. Excellent performance

Rumour Roundup: July 17th, 2013

It's the first RPL matchweek, so inevitably all of the news this week is on the actual matchweek rather than transfers, so this is a short Rumour Roundup. Also, I'm sick of rumours about Keisuke Honda, so nothing more about him until he leaves or signs a new contract.

Done Deals:
Vladimir Dyadyun has signed for Dynamo Moscow from Rubin Kazan, despite being the club's second highest scorer last season. Dyadyun started his career at Rubin and spent 3 spells away from the club at Rostov, Tom Tomsk and Spartak Nalchik, but this is his first permanent move away from the club. Dyadyun is presumably seen as a replacement for Aleksandr Kokorin and will likely rotate starts with Andriy Voronin and Kevin Kuranyi.

Looking Likely:
FC Twente's central defender Douglas is believed to be close to signing for Dynamo after the Dutch press reported that he was in Moscow to have a medical. Dinamo have been looking a little low on depth and quality in defence since allowing Denis Kolodin to leave on a free transfer.

50/50:
Zenit have reportedly made an offer in the range of €22 million for Internacional's Leandro Damiao, despite reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli. Internacional's asking price is reported to be €25 million for the 23 year old, who had an impressive first three years and 2012 Olympics, but has had a sub-par 2013, riddled with injuries and patches of poor form.

Zenit have also lodged an offer for Cagliari's central midfielder Radja Nainggolan to fill out the squad's thin midfield. Zenit have lacked depth after the sale of Igor Denisov and the retirement of Sergei Semak. The offer is rumoured to be around €15 million, which is close to Cagliari's reported €18 million asking price.

Low Chance:
Dynamo have received no offer for out of favour Igor Semshov, who wants more playing time after playing only 22 matches in all competitions last season. The 35 year old central midfielder was first choice for Russia for almost 10 years but hasn't made an appearance for the national team since June 2012.

And yes, every rumour includes either Zenit or Dynamo. That's just the way this week's gone.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

2013--14 Season Preview Part 5: Roundup and Player Predictions

Over my past 4 articles, I have predicted the table and the performances of every RPL club over the coming season. Here is my predicted table as per those articles:

1 - Anzhi Makhachkala (Champion's League)
2 - CSKA Moscow (Champion's League)
3 - Spartak Moscow (Europa League)
4 - Zenit St. Petersburg (Europa League)
5 - Dynamo Moscow (Europa League)
6 - Kuban Krasnodar
7 - Lokomotiv Moscow
8 - Rubin Kazan
9 - Rostov
10 - Terek Grozny
11 - Krasnodar
12 - Tom Tomsk
13 - Volga Nizhny Novgorod (Relegation Playoffs)
14 - Amkar Perm (Relegation Playoffs)
15 - Krylia Sovetov Samara (Relegation)
16 - Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast (Relegation)

And now for my predicted top 10 goalscorer list:
21 - Yura Movsisyan (Spartak Moscow)
16 - Aleksandr Kokorin (Anzhi Makhachkala)
14 - Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow)
12 - Felipe Caicedo (Lokomotiv Moscow)
11 - Hulk (Zenit St. Petersburg)
11 - Wanderson (Krasnodar)
10 - Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit St. Petersburg)
10 - Lacina Traore (Anzhi Makhachkala)
9 - Artem Dzyuba (Rostov)
9 - Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow)

And my predicted top 10 assistant list:
11 - Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow)
9 - Tino Costa (Spartak Moscow)
9 - Balasz Dszudszak (Dynamo Moscow)
8 - Joaozinho (Krasnodar)
7 - Aleksandr Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg)
7 - Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow)
7 - Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi Makhachkala)
6 - Marcio Abreu (Krasnodar)
6 - Zhano Ananidze (Rostov)
6 - Blagoy Georgiev (Amkar Perm)

So there you have it, my predictions for table finishes, top scorers and top assistants. Feel free to let me know your own predictions in the comments. I'd love to hear them

Friday, July 12, 2013

2013-14 Season Preview Part 4 - The Relegation Battlers

Amkar Perm

Transfers In:

Petar Zanev
Nikolai Fadeev (loan)
Dmitri Kayumov (loan)

Transfers Out:

Georgi Dzhioev
Vadim Gagloev
Vitali Grishin
Maksim Lauk
Stanislav Matyash
Nikola Mijailovic
Alexei Popov
Makhmadnaim Sharifi
Vladislav Shustov
Pavel Shuvalov
Sergei Volkov

Amkar have seen a mass exodus over the summer, to the point where they appear to not only lack quality, but depth as well. I can't see them improving on last year and they'll likely drop into the playoff places, finishing in 14th.
Last Season - 11th
Prediction - 14th

Volga Nizhny Novgorod

Transfers In:

Artem Danilenko
Denis Kolodin
Mikhail Komarov
Roman Kontsedalov
Marcin Kowalczyk
Leandro
Jorge Luis Luna
Mukendi Mulumba
Artur Nigmatullin
Piotr Polczak
Luton Shelton
Dmitri Sychev

Transfers Out:

Ruslan Adzhindzhal
Dmitri Aydov
Romeo Castelen
Aleksandr Kharitonov
Dmitri Kudryashov
Aleksandr Salugin
Alexey Sapogov

Volga have strengthened over the offseason, particularly with the signings of Leandro and Denis Kolodin, however they will struggle to overcome sides such as Rostov and Terek and will slip into the playoffs. However, expect them to have a few impressive moments where they perform well against better sides, despite a 13th place finish.
Last Season - 12th
Prediction - 13th

Krylia Sovetov Samara

Transfers In:

Ruslan Adzhindzhal
Gia Grigalava

Transfers Out:

Roman Grigoryan
Steeve Joseph-Reinette
Shamil Lakhiyalov
Dmitri Golubev (loan)
Viktor Svezhov (loan)

For me, Krylia haven't done enough in the transfer window to improve their side. I expect them to collapse throughout the final months of the season and sink to their first relegation in the RPL era by finishing in 15th.
Last Season - 14th
Prediction - 15th

Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast

Transfers In:

Aleksandr Belozerov
Andrei Gorbanets
Yuri Kirillov
Gudzha Rukhaia
Artur Sarkisov
Aleksei Solosin
Evgenni Pomazan (loan)
Serder Serderov (loan)

Transfers Out:

Mikhail Biryukov
Ivan Drannikov
Anton Kobyalko
Aleksandr Kotlyarov
Aleksandr Marenich
Adessoye Oyewole
Aleksei Revyakin
Dmitri Ryzhov
Konstantin Skrylnikov
Artem Solovyei
Maksim Volkov
Dmitri Yashin
Ivan Melnik (loan)

In releasing and selling most of the core of their title winning squad, Ural have greatly weakened themselves. They have brought in a few quality replacements, but their squad lacks consistency from last year and it will take time for the team to learn to work together. I fully expect their season to be hindered by a slow start, but they will finally pick up form as the season goes on. However, it will not be enough, and they should be relegated at the first time of asking by finishing 16th.
Last Season - 1st (National Football League)
Prediction - 16th

In the final part, I will wrap up the predicted table and make predictions for top scorers and assistants.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

2013-14 Season Preview Part 3 - The Mid-Table Candidates

Krasnodar

Transfers In:

Ruslan Bolov
Yuri Gazinsky
Gerard Gohou
Artur Jedrzejczyk
Vitali Kaleshin
Ricardo Laborde
Artem Leonov
Marcos Pizzelli

Transfers Out:

Aleksandr Erokhin
Evgenni Gorodov
Vladislav Ignatiev
Nukri Revishvili
Moussa Konate (loan)
Igor Lambarschi (loan)

Krasnodar are another team that has managed to weaken itself over the summer. I'm still not sold on Aleksandr Filtsov as a starting keeper and so the loss of Nukri Revishvili could be a blow to the team's ambitions. Admittedly, Krasnodar have an impressive frontline, including Wanderson and Joaozinho, but I don't believe that this will be enough to overcome the team's overly unimpressive defence. I don't predict that Krasnodar will be openly bad, but they won't impress anyone either, finishing 11th.
Last Season - 10th
Prediction - 11th

Terek Grozny

Transfers In:

Evgenni Gorodov
Evgenni Kobozev
Ivan Temnikov (loan)

Transfers Out:

Musawengosi Mguni
Piotr Polczak
Adlan Katsaev (loan)
Ezechiel N'Douassel (loan)

Terek have not had a particularly poor transfer window, but they haven't managed a particularly good one either. I'm left feeling that this Terek squad will be of roughly the same quality as the one that finished 8th last season, but with Lokomotiv and Rostov both strengthening, we'll see Terek dropping two places to 10th.
Last Season - 8th
Prediction - 10th

Rostov

Transfers In:

Kamil Agalarov
Anton Amelchenko
Bastos
Yoo Byung-Soo
Azim Fatullaev
Igor Lolo
Hrvoje Milic
Zhano Ananidze (loan)
Artem Dzyuba (loan)
Igor Khudobyak (loan)

Transfers Out:

Inal Getigezhev
Isaac Okoronkwo
Andrei Vasiliev (loan)

This Rostov side is a far cry from the one that limped into 12th last season. After undergoing what could be seen as a squad overhaul over the summer, Rostov may have emerged as the surprise package of the 2013-14 season. In addition to impressive permanent moves, Rostov have also brought in two top class performers, Zhano Ananidze and Artem Dzyuba, on loan from Spartak Moscow. I'm tentatively predicting that Rostov will finish in 9th, but don't be surprised to see them scalping a few top 6 sides over the season.
Last Season - 13th
Prediction - 9th

Tom Tomsk

Transfers In:

Mladen Bozovic
Andrei Ivanov
Zhivko Milanov
Gabriel Muresan
Kirill Panchenko
Evgenni Sidorenko
Pavel Ignatovich (loan)
Mikhail Komkov (loan)
Igor Portnyagin (loan)
Vladimir Rykov (loan)

Transfers Out:

Vitali Astakhov
Aleksandr Dimidko
Andrei Gorbanets
Anton Khazov
Viktor Stroev

A club that has strengthened even better than Rostov, Tom Tomsk have brought in a number of RPL veterans and talented players on loans. Despite falling short of the National Football League title last season, Tom Tomsk have improved the squad far better than the other promoted side, Ural, and I predict them to clear the playoff places by finishing 12th.
Last Season - 2nd (National Football League)
Prediction - 12th


2013-14 Season Preview Part 2 - The Europa League Hopefuls

Kuban Krasnodar

Transfers In:

Nikita Bezlikhotnov
Djibril Cisse
Vladislav Ignatiev

Transfers Out:

Dele Adeleye
Abdulwaheed Afolabi
Aleksei Ionov
Vladislav Kulik
Igor Lolo
Daniel Niculae
Marcos Pizzelli
Nikolai Zhilyaev
Bauyrzhan Islamkhanov (loan)
Mikhail Komkov (loan)

In my opinion Kuban have greatly weakened their side with the departures of Ionov, Kulik and Lolo, and have not done enough to replace them. Djibril Cisse could be an improvement at striker, but weaknesses over the rest of the pitch will have dropped the overall quality of their squad and I predict them to drop 1 place in the table, although they could do worse if their competitors
Last Season - 5th
Prediction - 6th

Rubin Kazan

Transfers In:

Inal Getigezhev
Vladislav Kulik
Aleksandr Prudnikov

Transfers Out:

Aleksei Eremenko
Vitali Kaleshin
Pablo Orbaiz
Sergei Davydov (loan)
Alan Kasaev (loan)
Igor Portnyagin (loan)
Ivan Temnikov (loan)
Gokhan Tore (loan)
Maksim Zhestokov (loan

In my opinion, Rubin have significantly decreased in quality throughout the midfield by allowing Eremenko and Orbaiz to depart, while their depth on the wings has evaporated with the decision to loan out Gokhan Tore and Alan Kasaev. By failing to cover these departures, Rubin will sink ever further away from the title and I predict that they will miss out on Europa League qualification by finishing 8th.
Last Season - 6th
Prediction - 8th

Dynamo Moscow

Transfers In:

George Florescu
Alan Kasaev (loan)

Transfers Out:

Tomislav Dujmovic
Yuri Kirillov
Vladimir Kisenkov
Aleksandr Kokorin
Denis Kolodin
Evgenni Puzin
Ivan Solovyov
Vladimir Rykov (loan)

Dynamo have significantly weakened with the sale of Aleksandr Kokorin to Anzhi, but have managed to cover their departures far better than their direct rivals. The return of Andrei Voronin from a loan to Fortuna should do enough to cover weaknesses up front and Dynamo should be able to capitalise on the weaknesses of Rubin and Kuban to finish 5th.
Last Season - 7th
Prediction - 5th

Lokomotiv Moscow

Transfers In:

Taras Mykhalyk
Sergei Tkachyov

Transfers Out:

Anton Amelchenko
Denis Glushakov
Dmitri Loskov
Artur Sarkisov
Dmitri Sychev

The biggest move that Lokomotiv have made over the summer was the replacement of manager Slaven Bilic with Leonid Kuchuk. Bilic's tactics and team selections were baffling at times and he dragged Lokomotiv down to a 9th place finish when they were expected to be pushing for Champion's League places. As for players, Lokomotiv have slightly weakened by replacing Denis Glushakov with Taras Mykhalyk, however the improved management of Leonid Kuchuk should pull them to a 7th place finish.
Last Season - 9th
Prediction - 7th

2013-14 Season Preview Part 1 - The Title Challengers

So with the RPL season kicking off this weekend, I thought I'd go ahead and give a brief overview of each squad, what they've achieved in the offseason and where I think they'll finish this season. First up is the title challengers.

CSKA Moscow

Transfers In:

Georgi Milanov
Steven Zuber

Transfers Out:

Uros Cosic
Artur Nigmatullin
Petr Ten (loan)

CSKA have not done much to strengthen over the summer, with Leonid Slutsky obviously content with most areas of his squad. However, he has brought in Georgi Milanov and Steven Zuber to fill out the midfield depth chart in preparation for the departure of Keisuke Honda, who is expected to leave for Milan in the immediate future. For me, they haven't done enough to cover for the increasing age of their central defence and will see problems as Sergei Ignashevich's age finally begins to catch up with him.
Last Season - 1st
Prediction - 2nd

Zenit St. Petersburg

Transfers In:

Andrei Arshavin
Yuri Lodygin
Ivan Solovyov
Anatoliy Tymoschuk

Transfers Out:

Bruno Alves
Igor Cheminava
Igor Denisov
Mikhail Kerzhakov
Sergei Semak

Zenit have seen a large decrease in quality throughout the spine of their squad over the offseason. The departure of Igor Denisov to a direct rival will greatly harm the team's chances of challenging for the title, despite the return of Andrei Arshavin and Anatoliy Tymoschuk to the club. The centre of midfield in particular has seen a depth problem arise and I don't really think that they'll get going through the middle of the season, so I predict them to finish 4th.
Last Season - 2nd
Prediction - 4th

Anzhi Makhachkala

Transfers In:

Igor Denisov
Aleksei Ionov
Mikhail Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kokorin
Christopher Samba

Transfers Out:

Kamil Agalarov
Nikita Burmistrov (loan)
Evgenni Pomazan (loan)
Serder Serderov (loan)

Anzhi have greatly strengthened the centre of their midfield at the cost of one of their closest rivals, Zenit, and have also improved their defence with the return of Christopher Samba. While defence may still be an issue due to weakness at fullback, Anzhi's attack should more than overcome any defensive frailties and for that reason, I expect them to finally take the title.
Last Season - 3rd
Prediction - 1st

Spartak Moscow

Transfers In:

Tino Costa
Denis Glushakov
Jose Manuel Jurado

Transfers Out:

Demy de Zeeuw
Igor Gorbatenko
Zhano Ananidze (loan)
Artem Dzyuba (loan)
Nikolai Fadeev (loan)
Dmitri Kayumov (loan)

Spartak have had a huge offseason, greatly strengthening the centre of the pitch by replacing Demy de Zeeuw and Ognen Vukjevic with Denis Glushakov and Tino Costa, as well as the return of Jose Manuel Jurado. A hopeful return to fitness of Sergei Parshivlyuk and Romulo could catapult Spartak to the title, but that may be too optimistic, so I'll predict them to finish in 3rd, close behind CSKA.
Last Season - 4th
Prediction - 3rd

Next up is the preview of the Europa League hopefuls - Kuban, Rubin, Dinamo and Lokomotiv.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Rumour Roundup: July 10th, 2013

It's been a big week for RPL transfers, so this is a somewhat longer Rumour Roundup than usual.

Done Deals:
Aleksandr Kokorin has completed his €19 million move from Dynamo to Anzhi. He joins a stacked frontline that also includes Samuel Eto'o and Lacina Traore and is supported by Yuri Zhirkov and Willian. This move will hopefully put an end to rumours about strikers going to Anzhi, but maybe I'm being a bit too optimistic.

Djibril Cisse has joined Kuban Krasnodar on a free transfer, having last played for Al-Gharafa on loan from Queen's Park Rangers. The former Liverpool striker has been out of form since leaving Panathinaikos in 2011 and will hope to reboot his career in order to break into the French national team.

Demy de Zeeuw has sealed his permanent transfer from Spartak Moscow to Belgian side Anderlecht. de Zeeuw played for Anderlecht on loan in the second half of last season, making six appearances, and is believed to be coming to the club for free.

Spartak's Zhano Ananidze has joined Rostov on loan for the entirety of the 2013-14 RPL season, where he will join fellow Spartak loanee Artem Dzyuba. Ananidze made his Spartak debut back in 2009, becoming the youngest ever player in the RPL, following up by becoming the youngest ever scorer in the competition just under 3 weeks later.

Nicolas Pareja has joined Sevilla on loan due to a lack of playing time at Spartak. Since Valery Karpin has resumed control of Spartak, Pareja has found it hard to beat out players such as Marek Suchy, Juan Insuarralde and Salvatore Bocchetti for a position in the centre of defence. He will reunite with Unai Emery at Sevilla, as Emery is known to rate Pareja and will likely give the defender playing time.

Looking Likely:
Norwich City have made an offer for Lokomotiv's Senegalese forward Dame N'Doye in the region of €7 million. Chris Hughton is believed to want a striker to partner new signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel at striker and has been given extra funds due to the Premier League's new broadcast deal. Lokomotiv's asking price is believed to be in the region of €11.5 million.

50/50:
Luis Neto has left his Zenit future up in the air after refusing to rule out a move away from the St. Petersburg club. Having been linked heavily with Inter Milan, the Portuguese defender is thought to be valued by his club at around €12 million and is not expected to leave unless an offer in this region is made.

Leonid Slustky has declared that CSKA has yet to receive a concrete offer for Keisuke Honda's transfer. Having been heavily linked with a move to AC Milan, Honda was expected to leave the club in the coming days, however the move looks to have been stalled until Milan make a substantial offer for the Japanese midfielder's services.

Anzhi have been linked with wantaway Manchester United winger Nani, who has also been linked with Tottenham, Roma and Galatasaray. Nani has struggled for playing time behind the likes of Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Antonio Valencia and seems willing to leave the club for more regular starts. United's asking price is believed to be in the region of €14 million and former United coach Rene Muelensteen could be key in bringing the Portuguese winger to Anzhi.

Low Chance:
Hulk has stated that he is happy to stay Zenit if no offer comes in from a "better team in a better competition". Hulk has been linked with both Chelsea and Tottenham for more than a year, but both teams appear to have cooled off their interest in recent weeks after the Brazilian had a poor season by his standards.

Salomon Rondon has denied that a move to Manchester City is in the works, claiming that he "has no formal knowledge" about Manuel Pellegrini's reported interest. Pellegrini is believed to want Rondon at City to replace recent departure Carlos Tevez, who has just joined Juventus.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Rumour Roundup: July 3rd, 2013

A few highly touted moves have either been completed in the last week or look set to be completed in the coming days, along with a few moves that have come out of nowhere. Let's take a look.

Done Deals:
Andrei Arshavin has finally rejoined Zenit on a free transfer. He made 308 appearances for the club between 2000 and 2009, scoring 75 goals before leaving to join Arsenal. His time in London was marked with inconsistency, eventually scoring 31 goals, including 4 in a 4-4 draw with Liverpool, in 143 appearances. He rejoined Zenit on loan in 2012, but the club opted to wait until his contract expired before making a permanent move for the former Russia captain.

Christopher Samba has rejoined Anzhi just 6 months after leaving them to join Queen's Park Rangers. Anzhi chairman Souleymane Kerimov claimed that "[Samba] expressed interest...Plus, the guys asked for him". It is believed that Anzhi made a profit in the region of €3.4 million, having sold Samba for €15 million and repurchased him for €11.6 million.

Spartak forward Artem Dzyuba has joined Rostov on loan for a season. Dzyuba had struggled for form in the tail end of last season and had found himself falling behind Ari and Waris in the pecking order for the crucial second striker role, so this move could improve his chances at Spartak when he returns or find him a suitor elsewhere.

Looking Likely:
Keisuke Honda is believed to have agreed personal terms with AC Milan, although this has yet to be confirmed by the player, Milan or his current club, CSKA Moscow. Honda's current deal expires in December and he has indicated that his time in Moscow has come to an end.

Aleksandr Kokorin has told Dynamo's board that he wishes to join Anzhi to further his career, although financial motives are suspected. Anzhi are apparently willing to pay Kokorin's €19 million release clause, meaning a move should be completed within the next few days.

50/50:
Ari's time at Spartak looks to be nearing an end as he has been told that he will train and play with the club's reserve team until his contract expires in December, unless a team is willing to purchase him beforehand. This is the second move in as many days that indicates that Spartak is looking to completely reshape its strikeforce.

Spartak central defender Nicolas Pareja is reportedly edging towards a move to Sevilla, where he will reunite with former Spartak manager Unai Emery. Since Emery left the club, Pareja has struggled to get starts ahead of Juan Manuel Insuarralde and Marek Suchy, so this move could be a chance to get playing time for Pareja under a manager who rates him.

Dynamo defender Gordon Schildenfeld is looking to move away from Moscow and his agent has claimed that a number of English clubs are interested in his client. Schildenfeld has fallen out of favour at Dinamo and spent last season on loan at Greek side PAOK Salonika.

Low Chance:
Anzhi look set to miss out on Vitesse striker Wilfried Bony after Swansea reportedly had a €12 million offer accepted by the Dutch club. Bony has scored 52 goals in 71 games at Vitesse, including 37 in 36 this season.