Football Season Guide

Sochi head coach Dmitry Khokhlov finished the season with a disappointing tenth-place finish in the Russian Premier League. That was a huge step back after finishing as runners-up in the season prior. It was always going to be difficult for Sochi last season after losing head coach Vladimir Fedotov to CSKA Moscow. They had a number of different people come in as head coach until Khokhlov took charge in April. They have brought in some defensive reinforcements in the form of Vyacheslav Litvinov, Marcelo Alves and Yuriy Medvedev to try and improve a weak defence last term. Sochi have also added Ivan Ignatjev and Martin Kramaric for more options going forward. Ibragim Tsallagov's time at Sochi has come to an end after a decline last season. Sochi have also lost a young talent in Aleksandr Kovalenko who has joined champions Zenit. Vladislav Sarveli has left the club too after a disappointing year. Midfielder Christian Noboa will continue to be the key man in the midfield. That is likely where they will be their strongest too. Victorien Angban will be hoping to get back to his previous levels after an injury-ridden campaign last year. Going forward was a clear weakness for Sochi last term and there hasn't been too many additions in this department. Ignatjev will need to make an impact.