Football Season Guide

Arsenal Tula were a sensation in the second half of last season as they turned into a contender for the top places from being just an average mid-table side before the winter break. The coach managed to impressively mould a tight defensive unit that also carried a lot of threat down the wings and now Arsenal have a European campaign to look forward to. The squad looks a lot lighter and shorn of quality going into the new season as a slew of loan players returned to their parent clubs. The pair of wingers, Zelimhan Bakaev and Riuzan Mirzov, will be the ones that will be missed the most. Evgeni Lutsenko is expected to be the leading attacking player next season after joining from Dinamo and, while he is canny and defensively a physical presence in the box, he is definitely a downgrade on Luka Djordjevic. Igor Cherevchenko has already proved that he is smart and adaptable and there are bound to be new signings coming in the weeks ahead but at the moment Arsenal look devoid of firepower and also run the risk of losing more important players, most notably Mikhail Belayev at the back.