Football Season Guide

CSKA Moscow were the most impressive team of the second half of last season as they went all the way through from March to late May without a loss and managed to beat Zenit and then Rostov on penalties in the Cup to lift the trophy for a second time in three years. They developed into a very effective and smart unit after the change of formation by Marko Nikolic during the midseason break and ultimately could have run Krasnodar close for the title if they had not dropped too many cheap points in the autumn. Yet, sadly for CSKA, Nikolai departed the Army Men after just a year in charge as he accepted the challenge to take over AEK Athens from Greece. In his places comes Swiss coach Fabian Celestini, who had just won the domestic title with Basel. His decision to ditch the Champions League with the club he managed to revive and win a title with to take over a more lucrative job in Russia was certainly met with shock in his home country but it represents a pretty good and impressive move for CSKA. They are a step below the top two sides in terms of overall quality and depth in their squad but Nikolic showed last year that this is a pretty good side in its own right and can cause problems to a fair few opponents. There have been limited activity on the transfer front so far, with Matheus Alves to be confirmed from Sao Paulo, but no other additions made so far. That said, two other South Americans in Alerrandro and Rodrigo Villagra, who arrived in March but played very little due to injury and lack of fitness, will feel as almost new signings as well. The team looks quite interesting on paper but do need more reinforcements in midfield after the departure of Miralem Pjanic and their success will depend on how Celestini adapts to an unknown environment and how quickly he can get this team firing.