Football Season Guide

Lokomotiv Moscow were the best team in the country in 2021, going on a sensational winning run that nearly earned them another Champions League slot. However, they only narrowly missed out on the second place and have to settle for a place in Europa League. Yet, the mood around Loko is very good one on the back of that sustained run of quality football shown in the spring and it is clear that Marko Nikolic has found the necessary balance and is able to maximise what is now exactly a top-level squad. That said, the loss of inspirational skipper Vedran Corluka is bound to leave a hole at the back while losing breakout start Maksim Mukhin for pennies to city rivals CSKA is a blow that will hurt too. In terms of new signings, Maksim Nenakhov from Akhmat is the only one so far and he will bring more competition to the likes of Dmitri Zhivoglyadov and Dmitry Ribchinskyi. Loko will again rely on industry in midfield and good production in fluidity in attack. The one wildcard for them will be unlocking again Anton Miranchuk, who struggled for game time last season due to injuries, but has the potential to be the leading player in this team and follow the footsteps of his brother Alexey. Overall, Loko look in good spot at the start of the season and are primed for challenging for the top places but could do with one or two additions in attack to bolster options.