Dynamo Moscow had a really good season last year and definitely exceeded expectations by being a genuine title contender right until the final stages. They in fact had the title in their own hands with a game left but got undone by Krasnodar on the final round and ultimately finished third.
This felt like a real missed opportunity to add to Dynamo's sole league title in their history but the disappointment should not overshadow the fact that Marcel Licka made genuine progress in his first season in charge and made a lot of squad members much better as a whole.
Now comes the part about building up the momentum and ensuring that Dynamo is once again among the best teams in the division. The squad is all but the same as last season, with the exception of veteran keeper Anton Shunin leaving and former Zenit goalie Andrey Lunev coming in as a direct replacement. Fedor Smolov left as well and that leaves the role of a backup striker to the excellent Konstantin Tyukavin as vacant.
There are bound to be some new additions to the squad in the coming weeks but ultimately Licka will look to replicate the formula that worked last season, with flexible attacking players changing positions and good control of the ball in midfield.
It will be hard to be as consistent and effective as last season but if Dynamo's depth is boosted in a couple of areas, there is no reason for them to be among the top three again.
Target
Building on the excellent campaign from last season and trying to be in the title battle again.
