Football Season Guide

Arsenal Tula were one of the neutrals' favourites sides in the division last season as they played with the sort of attacking abandon and freedom that gave a number of top sides a tough time against them. The Yellow and Reds never deviated from their principles and came within a few points of actually getting a Europa League slot. Miodrag Bozovic certainly did a fine job as he turned one of the relegation strugglers from the previous campaign into an established mid-table side but he will not be around to keep on his work, having rejected a new deal. Therefore, former Krasnodar and Akhmat manager Oleg Kononov has been given the job and he certainly feels like a progressive and exciting choice. Kononov did not have a great time at Akhmat last season but previously transformed Krasnodar into the most watchable side in the division and has the core principles and ideas to progress Arsenal even further. However, on the other hand, he does not really have the squad to match his ideas just yet as Arsenal lost some important players so far in the summer and the replacements have not been sufficient. Artem Dzyuba restored his belief and goal touch during his spell in the spring with Arsenal but he will not be coming back after the superb World Cup he had, while Luka Djordjevic is another one who will be missed for his speed and goals in attack. On the plus side, the problem area on goal has been solved as Artur Nigmatullin has arrived from the dissolved Amkar and he is certainly reliable and capable of some fine saves. Yet there are holes in attack and defence and there is not much time to fill them. Kononov will be certainly not panicking yet and will expect definitely a few new additions in the coming weeks. He will hope that strong players like Goran Causic and Igor Gorbatenko continue to grow in midfield after fine campaigns while Maksim Belayev has the characteristics of a leader at the back and will look to keep his improvement.