Football Season Guide

Nizhnyi Novgorod fought tooth and nail but ultimately did enough to ensure safety last season in their debut campaign in the top flight. It was certainly quite a struggle at times, with the team lacking any real attacking outlet and looking quite predictable, but they always showed spirit and stuck together as a group. However, Aleksandr Kerzhakov will not be around this season to build on the work he started last season as the former national team striker departed in the summer due to disagreements with management. Young manager Mikhail Galaktionov is the new man in charge in what is basically his first real foray into first-team management, having so far risen through the ranks of the national team as coach of various age groups up to the U21s. He is a bit of an unknown at this level but does seem to prefer more progressive and adventurous football as Nizhnyi hope to be something a bit more than a side scraping for every point at the bottom of the standings. That said, the quality in this squad is very thin on the ground and Galaktionov will certainly need some fresh blood in the coming weeks before the closure of the window. Mamadou Maiga is a good addition in midfield, having shown promise in the second division, while Vyacheslav Krotov is a decent striker for a team of that calibre, but none other of the new signings looks ready to have impact as a starter while there is worrying lack of depth, especially in the final third. All that signals another season of relegation struggle for the team from Nizhnyi Novgorod but they will not be lacking in spirit and have a really passionate fanbase to urge them on.