Football Season Guide

Rubin Kazan were once again one of the most reliable and unexciting teams last season as they maintained a very steady level of performances throughout. The curious thing was that they changed coach mid-season but despite Fran Artiga arriving in February, the style remained defensively focused, putting men behind the ball and relying on set-pieces. The team improved as it went on in the spring and at one point went on a nine-game run without losing and conceding just two goals during that spell. They finished in a solid eighth position as a result of that and it was a case of job well done for the Kazan side with what was quite a limited set of players. Now Artiga will be looking to repeat the trick with a team that looks quite similar to the one from last season by once again trying the same system and squeezing the maximum out of his players. New signings have been limited to full-back Ilya Samoshnikov getting back to the club where he made his name after a poor spell at Spartak Moscow last season. In terms of departures, a few of the fringe players have either retired or moved on but as a whole the core of the squad is basically unchanged. It will be interesting to see whether main striker Mirlind Daku returns to his best form after a relatively poor second half of the last campaign in which he was often injured and mustered just a couple of goals. In midfield, Ignacio Saavedra stays on after a strong spell on loan in the spring and should be a key player while Ugochukwu Iwu will be a big asset if he is back to full fitness after a serious injury. At the back, Egor Teslenko and Igor Vujacic are reliable and assured players while Konstantin Nizhegrodov developed into a very solid option last season and may become a regular. Overall, there is little to get too worked up about this Rubin side as they know well what they are and they are quite effective at getting the points in the bag. Thus, another handy mid-table finish is in the offing for them.