Football Season Guide

Ural

In


Nikita Chistyakov (def), Anzhi), Rafal Augustyniak (mid), Miedz Legnica)

Out


Aleksandr Dantsev (sp)(def), retired), Sergey Bryzgalov (r)(def), Gregor Balazic (sp)(def), Anatoli Katrich (sp)(mid), Dominik Dinga (sp)(def), Partizan - loan), Stefan Strandberg (r)(def), Krasnodar - end of loan), Ilya Zhigulev (sp)(mid), Krasnodar - end of loan)

Ural had a mostly forgettable last season as they never managed to rise above mediocrity in the league and did just about enough to stay clear of the bottom four. A run to the Cup final gave the fans something to dream about but the Bumblebees once again came up short there as well. The Yekaterinburg side are unlikely to ruffle too many feathers in the season ahead too as their summer additions have been limited and rather uninspired so far. It is basically a very similar squad as last season, with a few important departures, mostly in defence, The team lacks real identity and someone to really excite the fans for the campaign ahead and Dmytro Parfyonov may find it difficult to mould a side that is ready to compete at a good level. His strikers are limited and lacking any discernible quality, even if Pavel Pogrebnyak did better than expected in the second half of last season. One of the main strengths for the team remains the wide areas as Denis Kulakov is a reliable and assured right-back while Nikolay Dimitrovi and Othman El Kabir are pretty productive further forward. Yet, there is an overall feeling of stasis and lack of genuine ambition at a club that is basically content to finish every season just above the drop zone without taking the leap to try for something more.

Target


Will be looking to stay clear of any trouble and aim for the mid-table spots.