Russian Premier League 2009 Review

Undoubtedly the RPL is one of the fastest developing leagues in Europe, and its increased exposure in the Western European media is testament to this. While the time difference to the former Soviet Union might be seen as a hindrance, it has worked positively for the league. Because games kick-off relatively early in Russia it’s easier for Western TV companies to accommodate screening of Russian games. 

The same scenario is also the case for Russian home matches in the Champions League with CSKA Moscow and Rubin Kazan receiving special dispensation from UEFA to kick-off their matches at 18:30 CET instead of the normal 20:45 CET. This means that Russian clubs don’t have to fight for attention amongst seven other potentially higher profile matches.

The Russian players and teams therefore receive far more TV air-time than they might usually attract. While economically the game is developing, attendance remains pathetically low for some teams. 

A case in point is FC Moscow, a relatively new arrival on the Russian scene emerging from the ashes of FC Metallurg with assistance from the Moscow council, but despite riding high in the Russian Premier League, they can barely attract more than a few thousand hardy souls to their games.

With at least six teams from the capital alone in the Russian top-flight, plus more on the outskirts and suburbs, all the clubs jostle for attention and fan-base. With many clubs are forced to play their games in the cavernous municipally owned Luzhniki stadium as a result of their own stadiums being rebuilt or in a total state of disrepair, atmosphere at the matches, even ones relatively well-attended, can be almost negligible. 

It’s not just a problem confined to the capital. Rubin Kazan managed to sell out their stadium for Barcelona's visit in the Champions League, yet barely two weeks later there was a significantly lower turn-out for the final home game of the season against Zenit. 

With more attention focused on the league from around the globe, the betting scandal involving Kryla Sovetov and Terek Grozny which threatened to engulf Russian football over the summer was especially ill-timed. The rather unconcerned initial attitude from the Russian FA indicates that they need to be certain that the type of investment that the league is attracting doesn’t bring the sport into further disrepute and remain vigilant to other obvious signs of match fixing and illegal betting. 

One reason that the league is beginning to blossom is the positive effect that the reduction in the number of foreigners teams are allowed to field is having. As a result of now only being allowed to name six foreigners in the match-day squad, Russian teams are forced into developing their own locally born talent rather than simply turning to the various scouting agencies and importing relatively cheap South American and African talent. 

While the positive effect is clear to see on the league as the likes of Alain Dzagoev, Pavel Yakovlev and Pavel Mamayev blossom into thoroughbred world class players, their arrival didn’t come quickly enough to redeem the Russian World Cup qualifying campaign. 

Therefore while the season has been overwhelmingly positive in Russia, the failure to get through to the FIFA World Cup next summer is a major disappointment for the sport in the country as a whole.

With some Western European clubs eyeing up many of the men plying their trade in the Russian league, they would do well to be certain they know precisely what sort of a player they are acquiring.  The Russian players who left the confines of their homeland in the past 12 months have been far from a qualified success in arguably more demanding Western European leagues, 

Indeed only Andrey Arshavin has really shown his true potential at Arsenal, and the patience shown by the north London club is now beginning to bear fruit. With the Russian calendar out of synch with the likes of Spain, England and Italy, timing a purchase is important, and the arrival of Arshavin over the winter transfer window meant that the former Zenit player had six months to settle in, and a pre-season training with Arsenal under his belt before he began the 2009-10 campaign, the one which would really make or break his career in the Premier League.

Meanwhile his compatriot Yuri Zkirkov, after a difficult start to the season with CSKA arrived after pre-season training had begun at Chelsea, and his lack of game-time has seen him used only occasionally by Carlo Ancelotti. 

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov at Everton arrived even later in England than Zhirkov and is still coming to terms with his new surroundings, whilst Pavel Pogrebnyak has struggled even more at VfB Stuttgart.  The former Zenit striker was acquired to replace Mario Gomez in the front-line, but instead of being given time to find his feet, he has been thrust into the limelight and asked to entirely modify his style of play to fit into Stuttgart’s system. Despite a couple of goals, Pogrebnyak’s time in Germany has been far from a qualified success.

Another interesting point to note from the 2009 Russian season is that while young talent can emerge and succeed in the league, there is no substitute for managerial experience and stability at the helm.  CSKA Moscow have endured a tough season despite high early hopes and having gone through three managers over the course of the season. 

They will be looking for a bit more calm in the dug-out for the 2010 season. The benefit of retaining your manager is most clearly shown by Rubin Kazan, where Gurban Berdiyew has been in charge since 2001 overseeing their emergence has a major force in Russian football.

Nevertheless a change can also prove useful as illustrated by the excellent late season rallies from both Zenit St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow. Both dispensed with their managers mid-season and form immediately picked up following the arrivals of club legends Valery Karpin (Spartak) and Anatoli Davydov (Zenit) at the helm.

With the like of Zico, Juande Ramos, Michael Laudrup and even Dick Advocaat all getting the chop over the course of the 2009 season, one has to wonder whether a locally-based manager is a better option versus a better known international one. With both Karpin and Davydov only in charge on a caretaker basis and Italian Luciano Spalletti already in discussions over a move to Zenit for 2010, clearly the message hasn’t filtered through to the clubs yet.

The final point to note from what has been a fascinating 2009 season, is that the interior is still more than a match for the Muscovite sides. It’s now been three years since a team from the capital topped the league in the final reckoning, and with Rubin claiming top spot this year and Zenit bagging third, it looks like it may be a tough fight for the like of Spartak, CSKA and Lokomotiv to re-assert their previous dominance on the game. 

With the majority of the clubs turning their attention to 2010, there should be plenty to anticipate for next season.

Walter Townsend, Goal.com