2010 Club Preview: CSKA Moskva

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.

First is the obvious issue surrounding their back-line. Though only 27-years-old, twin brothers Alexsey (right-back) and Vasily Berezutsky (center-back) have been looking five years the elder. By no means are either incompetent, but their experience and strong positional sense only go so far when tested by swift attackers. Combine their shortcomings with the aging body of central defender Sergey Ignashevich and the tactical approach of their opponents becomes easier to predict. Granted, CSKA have one of the premier goalkeepers in the world in Igor Akinfeev—a fact often taken for granted, all the more exceptional given the growing problems in front of him—but the defensive questions are too hard for him to answer on his own.

Rounding out the defense is left-back Georgi Shchennikov, voted best young player in the RPL in 2009, who will have an even better year in 2010. With more focus being put on the central midfield in the upcoming year, a more aggressive Shchennikov will go a long way toward creating the necessary width to keep their opponents defenses honest. His youthful agility could be mirrored by the excellent pick-up Kirill Nababkin should Slutsky’s trust in Alexsey Berezeutsky begin to wane. Even if it does not, the coach should still try to find time for Nababkin, who offers a real, balanced talent at right-back.

Given the disheartening finish in the league, CSKA was relatively subdued with their moves in the off-season. The club leaves itself open to criticism with their allegiance to the core defensive players, not even giving a hint that they may have search the market for help beyond Nababkin. But setting aside that issue, the moves they did make showed some intelligence. First, they sealed a long-term deal with FK Sibir Novosibirsk keeper Sergey Chepchugov. As long as Akinfeev is present Chepchugov will be nowhere other than the bench for CSKA. But should CSKA cash-in on Akinfeev this summer they can rest content that they have a stellar keeper waiting in the wings.

The real strength of the squad lies in the midfield. And it has only grown stronger. That is, as long as Milos Krasic sticks around. One addition is the permanent signing of Sekou Oliseh, who has been signed to a five-year deal after impressing the CSKA staff while on briefly on loan in 2009 from Midtjylland (Denmark). While we have yet to see the real talents of the young Nigerian, his agility down the right could see him step into Krasic’s role on the flank when the Serbian departs in the summer. With that said, Pavel Mamaev has proven to be the most versatile midfielder off the bench last year and will also be slotted in as Slutsky sees fit. Another long-shot for the role is newly acquired 17-year-old Nika Dzalamidze. The Georgian starlet, on loan from Baia Zugdidi, will need some time with the reserves before he is truly ready, but scouting reports suggest that he could be the future of CSKA’s attacking midfield.

Should CSKA have an excellent payout for Krasic—and all signs suggest they will, with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Manchester United considered possible buyers—the club may also be considering an expensive transfer of their own in the summer. There is a precedent insofar as they acquired Mark González after dealing Yuri Zhirkov to Chelsea last year. But with their current financial problems, however, this year’s mid-season transfer options remain more ambiguous.

The brightest pick up of the off-season was certainly Keisuke Honda. The attacking midfielder surprisingly surprised people with his performance against Sevilla in the Champions League given that he already showed his exceptional qualities—admittedly on a lesser stage—with VVV-Venlo earlier this season in the Eredivisie. His talents combine speed, intelligence, and an ability to shoot with power with both feet. While it may take a little time for him to adjust to Russia, he will be a standout performer throughout the year.

One of the major questions looming over CSKA appears to be how to accommodate the overlapping talents of Alan Dzagoev—deemed the latest savior of Russian football–and Honda, whose pressure from his home country of Japan should not be underestimated. Greater than even the issue of dealing with Krasic’s absence come the summer, this central playmaking quandary will be the greatest test of Slutsky’s pluck.

What appears as the most likely solution is Slutsky playing, for all intents and purposes, a 4-1-3-2, with Honda finding a spot in central midfield as a playmaker at the expense of a holding player (most likely Deividas Semberas). This would require Dzagoev to be pushed further into attack as a supporting striker for Tomas Necid.

As an offensive move this sounds quite nice, initiating a very aggressive style in the midfield. The tactic, however, comes with the threat of exposing the listless central defense of Vasily Berezeutsky and Ignashevich. While Yevgeny Aldonin has shown his ability to cover for the back line, is he fit enough to handle the role without Semberas as a partner?

If Stlutsky is feeling less adventurous, another possible way to utilize Honda would be to occasionally place him on the left-wing in replace of Mark Gonzalez. Currently, however, Slutsky has preferred to have Pavel Mamaev available as a late substitute for the Chilean, but with Daniel Carvalho sent on loan to Al-Arabi (Qatar), Honda does provide additional coverage. But using Honda wide is less likely, even though he does have experience on the wing, given that he is a natural playmaker who excels more with short, quick passes rather than long crosses.

But no matter how Slutsky handles Dzagoev and Honda, there is the unmistakable absence of Vágner Love up top. While Necid does show moments of real strength and Guilherme has good speed, both lack Love’s tenacity. It is easy to understand the trepidation of CSKA supporters who bemoaned Love’s return to Brazil (where he currently is on loan with Flamengo). He was undeniably the core of CSKA’s attack for five seasons.

That is where Seydou Doumbia belatedly comes in. The widely coveted 22-year-old Ivorian, currently finishing the season with BSC Young Boys (Switzerland), will be available in July, at which time CSKA have high hopes that he will continue to excel inside the box, striking a balance of pace and power that CSKA enjoyed from the braided wonder for so many years. Granted, Doumbia’s youth could be an issue at first, but his tallying nineteen goals in nineteen appearences this year (and thirty-nine in less than two years of action) for the Young Boys, is the effect of creative play and an ability to sniff out good chances in the area—something CSKA is lacking at the moment.

In the meantime, there remains an issue of depth up top that, at least when one scans the list of strikers on their books that they have loaned out to other clubs around the world, the club seems unconcerned with. The virtual cavalcade of loans include Ouwo Moussa Maazou (Monaco, France), Ricardo Jesus (Larissa, Greece), Dawid Janczyk (Germinal Beerschot, Belgium), 18-year-old Nigerian Ganiyu Oseni (Espérance Tunis, Tunisia), Nikita Burmistrov (Amkar Perm), and Aleksandr Kudryavtsev (FK Shinnik Yaroslavl). Some of the loans are a sign of experiments gone awry, the result of the club looking to cut its losses. Others are young talents that CSKA is willing to patiently wait for with the hopes they will blossom. But either way, one gets the sense that Slutsky has enough faith in Necid and Guilherme, and the occasional appearance from young Anton Zabolotny, at least until Doumbia’s summer arrival. That faith is not blind, but it could be dangerous.

Prediction: 4^th place. The competition for the top five spots in 2010 is the fiercest in years–if not ever. While CSKA have a very good chance of grabbing a Champions League place (we could have easily predicted 3^rd for them), the issues surrounding the forward position in the first half of the season will be coupled with poor defending later in the year as the back-line grows even more sluggish.

Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Igor Akinfeev; Alexey Berezutsky, Vasily Berezutsky, Sergey Ignashevich, Georgi Shchennikov; Yegeny Aldonin, Kesiuke Honda; Milos Krasic, Alan Dzagoev, Mark Gonzalez; Tomas Necid.