Football Season Guide

Nizhny Novgorod celebrate their first season in the top-flight in their history and will look to leave a mark and try to avoid the fate of most promoted teams, who immediately go back down given how hard they find the step up. The Blues had a strong campaign last year but it was not without its up and downs and only a run of seven points in the final three games, under caretaker after the dismissal of Robert Evdokimov, was what earned them the third place in the standings, which eventually proved enough for promotion as second-placed Orenburg were not granted license. They start afresh now with Aleksandr Kerzhakov as their new manager and the former Zenit striker hardly looks like someone prepared for the challenges of battling against relegation with an underdog, especially given his stint at Tom Tomsk last season ind what was his first job as management. The squad does need beefing up and bringing in more seasoned players at this level and the likes of Aleksey Kozlov and Artur Nigmatullin are steps in the right direction. Yet, one has to wonder where the goals will come from, with midfielder Aleksandr Sapeta their main goalscorer last season with 11 goals. Some cornerstones of the team from last season in Artem Popov and Aleksey Shumskikh have moved on too and at the moment Nizhny Novgorod do have the look of a side destined for a struggle against relegation. Yet, one should not underestimate the spirit and dedication of the players and the passionate fans and the Sky Blues will at least look to enjoy the ride in the coming months.