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 If Dinamo had the most impressive transfer activity this off-season, most will agree that Lokomotiv Moskva had the loudest. Much of its amplitude was generated through the mouth of president Nikolay Naumov. It wasn’t all hot air; by the end of the transfer window there was a respectable accumulation of new bodies.
Some of the moves may have been overshadowed by the grander Naumovian schemes. First there was Naumov’s courting of Roman Pavlyuchenko. Day after day, endless reports detailing contact between Loko’s front office and Harry Redknapp’s henchmen bristled forth as a move was launched to wrestle the striker away from White Hart Lane. The transfer idea—like three-fourths of Naumov’s revelries–never materialized. Nevertheless, Lokomotiv is still convinced that at the end of the English Premier League season they have a good chance of sealing the deal. Stay tuned.
The Pavlyuchenko story was momentarily superceded by the attempted, and then eventually successful, acquisition of Oleksandr Aliyev. The epic (as in drawn out, bordering on laborious) deal was first sealed, only to be dissolved, and then rekindled all in the matter of two months. Aliyev’s history with coach Yury Semin appears to have initiated and finalized the move away from Dynamo Kyiv—and Loko and the RPL are the better for it so long as the midfielder can stay healthy.
Finally, there were endless tales of Marat Izmailov. His recent good health at Sporting (Portugal) has translated into great form, sparking Loko’s remembrance of the days of yore. Or, to say it otherwise, they wanted their midfielder back. For that is how the club sees Izmailov—Loko property—and come the summer he, like Pavlyuchenko, could very well be just that.
Continue reading 2010 Club Preview: Lokomotiv Moskva
 It has been well-documented that Krylia Sovetov Samara has been fighting for their very survival this off-season. Such a desperate existential mentality will unfortunately be carried onto the pitch. The last minute decree of Vladimir Putin prevented Krylia from succumbing to the same fate as FK Moskva but with the season set to commence in a matter of days caretaker manager Yury Gazzaev is struggling to even solidify a starting XI.
To quickly summarize the coach’s most imposing obstacles: until several outstanding debts are settled Krylia has been banned from signing new players by the Russian Football Union. In addition, a number of current players are threatening to strike this weekend if they themselves do not receive back pay.
The unconditionally supportive fans have faith that the debts will be mitigated in time to add to the squad. However, even if that optimistic outlook comes true—and an announcement from the club about debt restructuring that emerged on Tuesday looks promising–it is uncertain how competitive the squad can actually be. Given that the fundamental and gravest challenge will be to regularly pay their players, a struggle to stay within the top flight appears to be the only on-field objective for the Wings.
To write any half-sensible preview of the club we’ll need to bracket all the financial constraints. That proves difficult, however, because the composition of the squad will remain highly unstable until the debt issues are resolved. Take some of this, then, with a grain of salt.
Continue reading 2010 Club Preview: FK Krylia Sovetov Samara
 Thanks to the massive coffers of their banking sponsor VTB, Dinamo Moskva’s HR department has had a busy off-season collating a whole bunch of new contracts. In terms of personnel changes, Dinamo have not only been the most zealous but are considered in many respects to have been the most successful Russian club this off-season. Whether the new stable of players will cohesively translate into a return to European competition is the fundamental test for coach Andrey Kobelev, who–while still young and promising–can no longer hide behind the thinness of his squad as an excuse. Simply put, results are necessary.
The dramatic influx of new players, lubricated primarily by the demise of cross-town FK Moskva, has considerably bulked up the team. Dinamo showed tremendous foresight in taking advantage of the Citizens dissolution, signing Alexandru Epurenu, Aleksandr Samedov, and Edgaras Chesnauskis to big deals shortly after the conclusion of the disappointing eight-place result in 2009. However, that was just the start of director Konstantin Sarsania’s feverish activity. A new striker, one further Citizen, and the return of a core player from yesteryear now means that over half of Dinamo’s starting squad in 2010 will be new.
At the end of last season Aleksandr Kerzhakov made it loudly apparent that he had had enough of the Policemen. Sarsania, however, wasn’t too fazed by the development. Instead, a series of ambitious, rather far-fetched, rumors linking Dinamo with Pavel Pogrebnyak and Aleksandr Bukharov surfaced as potential replacements. Neither paned out, in the end, and the club eventually satiated their striker needs by picking up beach-prone, Liverpudlian exile Andriy Voronin.
Continue reading 2010 Club Preview: Dinamo Moskva
 Coach Yury Gazzaev's financial worries continue at Krylia A whirlwind of monetary chaos continues to sweep over Krylia Sovetov Samara.
Amidst so much uncertainty, one thing is certain: a team’s players going on strike is surely not a good way to start off a season.
Rumors are circulating on Monday that an undisclosed number of Krylia Sovetov Samara’s players have presented an ultimatum to the club’s management. Apparently, if the said players do not receive wage arrears and bonues that date back as far as 2008 they will refuse to go on the pitch this weekend.
Continue reading Unpaid Krylia Players Threaten to Strike
 He does not look the epitome of calm, twitchingly perched on the edge of the bench, but coach Leonid Slutsky has brought a much-needed composure to CSKA Moskva.
There was a time—only months ago, in fact—that you could hear within certain quarters of CSKA’s fan-base the stubborn cries of those convinced that Valery Gazzaev was CSKA Moskva, or that he was a mustachioed godsend, or that he was simply irreplaceable. Impassioned thinking, surely, motivated in large measure by 2009’s less-than-stellar performance from Zico and the misadventures of Juande Ramos. But now Russian patriots have Slutsky to tout as a homegrown coach with the wherewithal to understand the psyche of his players. Less overblown, others can simply point to the youngish nail-biter’s patient, steady approach and—regardless of citizenship—give the man props for competently knowing his personnel and acting accordingly.
The club’s disappointing fifth-place finish last year leaves much to be desired from the three-time Premier-Liga champs. An underdog victory against Sevilla in the second leg of their Champions League tie would go a tremendous way in erasing the memory of the chaos that was 2009. So to would it help the club wade its way out of financial troubles that, while hard to find true information about, are thought to be substantial.
Anything less than a top-three spot, and a trip back to the Champions League in 2011, will be deemed a failure in the eyes of CSKA’s officials. The fans want the championship, obviously, but there are obvious weaknesses in the squad that, because they were not immediately addressed this off-season, will linger throughout the year.
Continue reading 2010 Club Preview: CSKA Moskva
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