VAR Revisited: Judgement Day Approaches

Thursday will play host of the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, but also the first to use VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology. After a rough ride since its inception, FIFA’s sometimes blind ambition to pioneer this approach has led to numerous instances of error, confusion and delay that has widely split the footballing fraternity of how best to move forward. A year on from my initial questioning of this approach, I suggest that the early teething pains being felt are more likely to be long term symptoms of a technology that doesn’t quite fit the sport.

From the outset I’ve long been a critic of using video technology in football. Proposing that a categorical decision can be made on matters of opinion has always struck me as merely adding another layer of contention to an already heated arena. The subsequent delay and confusion would also in my opinion damage the essence of why football is so loved.

Off the back of a mixed pilot at the latter end of the 2016/17 Australian A-League season, I detailed a number of failings, highlighting further concerns that needed to be ironed out in the subsequent year ahead of the World Cup. The last 12 months however have done little to suggest this has been achieved.

The decisions up for consideration remain the same; 1) circumstances surrounding goals being scored, 2) penalty decisions, 3) red card incidents and 4) mistaken identity. While the initial pilots experienced quite significant failings in Australia and at the Club World Cup, the full season rollouts were introduced as agreed, in the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Portuguese Primeira Liga, sporadic English FA Cup ties and a full season with the A-League, alongside the FIFA competitions; Confederations Cup, U20 World Cup, Club World Cup and sporadic international friendlies. The testing ground was now vast, but with it came the inevitable hand-in-hand controversies.

The three areas of concern raised last year were the wide interpretation of the rules, the time delay in making the decisions and the behaviour on the pitch, which all had a significant part to play over the last 12 months. However, an additional concern can now be added to the list of snags; that being technological malfunction.

Interpretation

One of football’s enduring qualities has always been its freedom. There’s no steadfast way of playing the game and with it means there’s few laws that can be considered as categorical. While Goal Line Technology (GLT) has developed quickly into being a mainstay of modern football, VAR was always fighting an uphill battle as it considered multiple shades of grey over the unquestionable decision of whether a ball had crossed the goal line or not. 

Last summer’s Confederations Cup, the official warm up for this year’s World Cup had a number of interpretation issues that caused upheaval. Chile were denied a VAR review upon a clear enough looking penalty decision against Portugal in the semi-finals, while they conversely were the beneficiaries in the final when Gonzalo Jara was spared a red card upon an on pitch review for an equally clear elbow on Germany’s Timo Werner. 

Later that year, at December’s Club World Cup, Real Madrid who were affected by the VAR at the previous edition in 2016 were under scrutiny once again. On two occasions during their semi-final with Al-Jazira VAR stirred up confusion; first a goal for Casemiro was ruled out, overturned, then ruled out once more due to an open for interpretation offside decision against Karim Benzema which questioned whether he was interfering with play or not. 

Secondly, Al-Jazira had a goal ruled out for offside, when Mbark Boussoufa was judged to be offside (after a significant delay), again a call that caused debate. After the match Real coach Zinedine Zidane and player Luke Modric spoke of their frustrations of the system, citing their confusion and the scope for interpretation as the technology’s limiting factors.

The issues that VAR highlights tend to become more defined when a supporter’s team is affected, highlighted perfectly by the England national team over the last 12 months. Firstly, Raphael Varane was sent off for France against England in Paris last summer for a soft but likely last man foul on Dele Alli, widely praised in the country as a clear example as to why video technology was first introduced.

Fast forward nine months and the shoe was on the other foot, as England conceded a soft penalty to Italy after VAR intervention. Both decisions were very similar; clumsy but contestable. Predictably however there was outcry on this occasion; as former national team striker Gary Linekar put it England had a “clear and obvious victory taken away” from them. He, like many pundits that night pointed to the rules that state an overturned decision needs to be “clear and obvious”, while in the same year the same group of observers didn’t bat an eye lid at the red card awarded to Varane.

Time Delay 

There have been countless cases where VAR has worked perfectly, either as a sanity check to ensure the referee has made the correct call first time around or to pick up something that was initially missed. However, in plenty of cases this process has been lengthy and often misleading for fans in the ground and broadcasters/viewers around the globe watching on TV.

The most famous example occurred in Germany in April, when a relegation “six pointer” between Mainz and Freiberg descended into farce, as players were brought back out of their half time break to conduct a penalty for an incident that happened a good five minutes ago in the first half. Alongside the impeding logistics of recalling players out of the tunnel (some of whom didn’t even reappear for the penalty to be taken), fans who had made their way downstairs in the ground and TV broadcasts on ad breaks would have critically missed a key part of the action.

Concerning in-play decisions, some calls are also demonstrably time consuming to resolve. Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama’s eventual red card in the A-League took a whole two minutes, from initial yellow to its eventual upgrading. A short period of time on paper, but as can be attested on video footage a lengthy period that raised tensions on the home bench, particularly with coach Paul Okon.

Behaviour on the pitch

FIFA have taken preemptive action on the behaviour of players calling for a VAR check, insisting any call for such would be punishable by a yellow card. Given the lack of success FIFA and national leagues have had in clamping down on dissent towards referees from all quarters, it’s debatable this extra legislation will have any effect, but at the very least FIFA are accepting changes in behaviour have occurred since VAR’s implementation.

Players and coaches objection to initial decisions and the follow up reversions will be pointed to as passion, part and parcel of the game, but the question clearly is to why bother in introducing a system that exacerbates the debate rather than resolves it? The long term future will pile more pressure on the referees instead of the technology being there to support them, leading to occasions where referees are clearly changing the way they officiate.

In Australia, it has been regularly debated whether officials are often overlooking decisions, as they’ll be picked up by VAR anyway, to ensure a chance isn’t lost in real time play. The opposite happened in last summer’s U20 World Cup final between England and Venezuela. Venezuelan forward Adalberto Penaranda went down in the box under the challenge of Kyle Walker-Peters, which was quickly blown up by the referee as being a penalty.

Upon immediate questioning the referee rushed the decision up to the VAR box, seemingly suggesting, “I couldn’t be sure, but it’s getting checked over,” bringing the updated VAR processes into doubt, as referees are negating their initial job of making the decision on the pitch as they see it.

While the decision was agreed upon, or at least not seen as a “clear and obvious” mistake by the referee, even though from a personal standpoint there looked to be minimal to no contact, the resulting penalty was missed by Venezuela, muting any hard feelings from the England bench. A bullet dodged for the referee and FIFA, but questioning should be directed on the consistency in the use of the technology between individual referees. 

Technology Malfunction 

One aspect I hadn’t considered this time last year, was that the technology wasn’t fit for purpose in the required moment. The comical graphics used by the VAR team behind the FA Cup tie between Huddersfield Town and Manchester United went viral, as Juan Mata was called offside for United, justified by an uneven yellow line across the field. Hawk-Eye, the operators behind the technology put it down to a glitch in the system.

This year’s A-League Grand Final went one step further and saw its VAR system switch off for two minutes. While this could’ve happened another time to little effect, the period in question saw Melbourne Victory score the only goal of the game, despite the television audience being fully aware that James Donachie was offside in the build-up. The outcry was tremendous, but crucially for FIFA isolated in a low key league outside of Europe, but a comparison to a winning goal in the World Cup final would be disastrous. Despite a lengthy explanation citing a technical failure, the FFA have agreed to use VAR in next season’s A-League campaign.

Ironically after the affair, there were calls for the VAR referee in question to be banned from ever taking up the role again, irrespective of his lack of technological expertise. This surely culminates the VAR’s ludicrous moral 360, from introducing technology to take the pressure off referees, we are now calling into question the careers of those using it.

Quite possibly the most bizarre example however, came in Portugal, when a clear offside goal scored by Aves v Boavista in the Portuguese Primeira Liga was missed by the VAR cameras as a supporter’s flag was flown in the way of its sight. Clearly the most surreal incident in VAR’s short history, it’d likely raise a few smirks even from the Boavista fans, if we weren’t used to so many damning clangers in the past.

Throughout all this, FIFA carries on regardless to push their opinion that VAR has been of benefit to those who have introduced it into their competitions. An IFAB report from January suggested decision making has improved, from 93 to 98.9% success rate, yet still the biggest players in club football continue to be unimpressed.

In February, UEFA confirmed that they weren’t going to use VAR in their upcoming Champions League campaign, while the English Premier League followed suit in April stating; “The decision came after comprehensive discussions regarding the progress made in VAR trials in English football and key learnings from the many competitions elsewhere using it.”

It’s probably a wise decision for both organisations to take, given they haven’t yet experienced the crisis moments that FIFA had, back in 2010, where a few clear decisions were missed in South Africa’s staging of the World Cup. But even for those who were initial pushers of VAR, regular use has seen their opinion change.

As we edge towards the biggest football competition in the last four years, the previews have quite sensibly been looking at the players and teams that will hopefully make the headlines come the World Cup final. While I may speak as an unwavering sceptic of VAR, I can’t foresee a scenario where at least one team won’t be negatively impacted by the use of the system however. While question marks and technical bugs continue to hover over it, VAR will always be lurking ready to tarnish the greatest show on earth.

Season Preview (Russia 17/18)

League Name: Russian Premier League (RPL)
Start Date: 15th July
Honours (16/17): Spartak Moscow (League champions), Lokomotiv Moscow (Russian Cup winners)
Teams qualified for European football (16/17): Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow (both UCL), Zenit St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Lokomotiv Moscow (all UEL)

Domestic football returns to Russia with an air of optimism given we’re going into a home World Cup year with an additional Champions League qualification spot to fight for through the Russian Premier League. In truth however, club and international football is far from skyrocketing; Sbornaya crashed out early in the Confederations Cup last month, while it’s difficult to make a case for all but one RPL team actually coming into this season on a high after a broadly middling campaign last term.

The clear winners in this regard were champions Spartak Moscow. Clinching the title for the first time since 2001, few gave them a hope at the start of the season when Dmitri Alenichev was swiftly fired in August, following an early exit in Europa League qualification. His replacement Massimo Carrera stepped up from being Alenichev’s assistant remarkably well, his credentials soared within a year, to a stage where he's widely tipped for bigger and better things away from Russia, a rapid rise indeed over a fledgling coaching career.

Guided by their player of the season candidates; Fernando and Denis Glushakov in centre midfield and Dutch maestro Quincy Promes in attack, Spartak ruthlessly ran away with the title, a clear 7 points ahead of the chasing pack. Crucially they harnessed consistency, and in those times where they stumbled (heavy defeats to Krylya and Rostov either side of the winter break) they resisted a sustained slump to return to winning form the week after. Such consistency was rarely shared by their title chasing colleagues, however with European commitments now to contend with, a busier Autumn schedule is now Spartak’s trail to navigate past.

The transfer window has been relatively quiet for the champions, which indeed was what they wanted. They might not have engineered any notable transfers in, but for the time being their star man Quincy Promes stays. With one and a half months left of the transfer window, and competitive football ahead of him to boost his profile, it may become a struggle for them to keep hold of their gem however, whose mere presence in a Spartak shirt is essential in their title retention hopes.

A stark change is felt at Zenit St. Petersburg as they go into their second successive season with a brand new high profile coach, with lofty ambitions fuelled by an array of personnel changes. After a briefly positive campaign (especially in Europe), a dire run-in to last season cost Mircea Lucecsu his job, as Zenit slumped to another year outside the Champions League places. A performance their owners and key Champions League sponsors Gazprom will be reluctant to see occur for a third successive campaign this term.

With Financial Fair Play seemingly offering little deterrent, in have come the big names; former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is the new face in the dugout; while he’s quickly added to his squad with Leandro Paredes from Roma, Sebastian Driussi from River Plate, and the tried and tested Rostov contingent of Christian Noboa, Aleksandr Erokhin and Dmitry Poloz. The potential, as it was last year is clearly there, but striking the right balance between talent and a strong unit will be the deciding factor, all this in new surroundings, after Zenit moved to their new home - the Krestovsky at the end of last season.

Already well accustomed to their new World Cup stadia home however are CSKA Moscow, who themselves go into this campaign with a different feel about them, despite another off-season of inaction in the transfer market. This will be the first full season where Leonid Slutsky won’t be rocking in the dugout, and while the former Russia boss is in mid-preparations with Hull City in England, his presence is still keenly felt back at the VEB Arena. Emerging from his shadow, Viktor Goncharenko has put in some decent foundations since stepping in over the winter break, and while they missed out on the title to their bitter rivals Spartak, the fact they’ve clinched Champions League football (albeit the preliminaries at this stage) will satisfy the hierarchy in the short term.

It’s hard to look past the big three for the title, but with a lucrative chance at edging third spot and going into the Champions League offers up more to play for for those in and around the top half of the table. Krasnodar, who’ve regularly been touted as the side to break the stranglehold of Russia’s first two cities, were pretty middling last term, and nearly took one step backwards, if it wasn’t for their final day victory over Tom Tomsk to clinch Europa League football.

This season was always likely to be a year of transition, but with top marksman Fyodor Smolov stalling on a move away from the Bulls (something aided by a pre-season injury), Krasnodar may in the end keep their main man. Their support cast has arguably improved, swapping one Wanderson for another; their legendary 31 year old winger has moved on to join newly promoted Dinamo Moscow, while his namesake, a player nine years his junior has joined from Red Bull Salzburg.

A case can be made for Lokomotiv Moscow, in being the next side from the capital to compete, after clinching a European spot with their Russian Cup victory last year. With key attacking cogs Aleksei Miranchuk and Ari reaffirming their immediate futures with the club, they will look to improve on their lowly 8th placed finish from last term. As will the newly branded Akhmat Grozny (formerly Terek), representing the club’s former president and leading Chechen politician Akhmad Kadyrov. With the name change comes renewed force to cement their name at the top end of Russian football and qualify for the Europa League, a position they’ve fallen narrowly short of achieving over the last few seasons.

It’s been from mid-table over the last two seasons where the real progression has been made. As with Spartak’s renaissance in form last term to snatch the domestic title, Rubin Kazan go into a successive season with a great deal of hype. Last term it surrounded big money signings, who ultimately fluffed on the pitch, this time it’s about adding experience, with some old faces set to return to Kazan. There were occasional high points in performance last year, but generally the likes of Alex Song, Maksim Lestienne and the returning Yann M’Vila rarely lived up to their initially high billing.

This term sees the return of legendary Turkman coach Kurban Berdyev, back with the club where he clinched successive titles in 2008 and 2009. He brings with him predictably his latest set of Berdyevites; Fyodor Kudryashov and Vladimir Granat have already joined from his former club Rostov, while Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun looks likely to link up with his mentor for the third time, at the club he unceremoniously ditched this time last year. If they can gel a systematic formula that has proven to be successful in the past under Berdyev, and the best out of those underachieving big names, Rubin are more than an outside bet of qualifying for Europe.

Berdyev’s previous employers Rostov couldn’t be in a more dissimilar position. Two years in which they narrowly missed out on the RPL title and hosted Bayern Munich and Manchester United at the Olimp-2 in European competition, could roll into a much more trying period ahead for Leonid Kuchuk and co. Of the starting XI that beat Bayern back in November, only two remain, a difficult scenario for any club, let alone Rostov who were struggling in mid-table for much of the last term anyway; a relegation dogfight might be the upcoming course instead.

From that perspective the first indications are that the regulars will again fight for safety in the Russian top flight. Both Ural Ekaterinburg and Anzhi Makhachkala narrowly missed out on the relegation playoffs last term, but showed in parts (Ural reaching the Russian Cup final, and Anzhi comfortably competing in the top half before the winter break) that they had quality, if onlt in small bursts; proving that nothing can be taken for granted going into the new season.

Of the promoted teams; the RPL welcomes Dinamo Moscow back at Russa’s top table at the first given opportunity, following their relegation in 2016, after they wiped the board with the rest of the FNL. Serial goal machine Kirill Panchenko has signed on a permanent basis after his successful season on loan from city rivals CSKA, while the addition of Wanderson from Krasnodar aids in their squad transition.

Similar potential isn’t expected from the other duo, both making their debut at this level. Tosno, a start up from 2013 are a club used to shifting their home ground, and will again be moving - into the recently departed Petrovsky (formerly of Zenit), while SKA Khabarovsk provide RPL clubs with a dreaded 5,000+ mile journey East, something Roberto Mancini will immediately experience first hand in this coming weekend..

Ones to Watch:

Fyodor Chalov (CSKA Moscow) - Broke through late in the season after an impressive developmental start with CSKA’s youth side in the Autumn, Chalov at 19 years old, could become the Army Men’s leading marksman this term, with little consistency or quality to aid him in attack. In a World Cup year, this season feels about right for the youngster to make an impact both domestically and in Europe, with the end prize of a national call up a realistic opportunity to aim for. 

Aleksandr Kokorin (Zenit) - A year on from his indiscretions in a nightclub following Russia’s demise at Euro 2016, Kokorin is back in the Sbornaya setup, but continually fails to live up to the high expectations even at club level. New boss Roberto Mancini has requested 35 goals from Kokorin and his strike partner Artem Dzyuba in the forthcoming season, a target the support striker needs to keep tabs with if he’s set to feature for Russia next summer.

Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan) - For a second year in a row, we’re left in confusion at where the young Iranian striker will end up, but the good money is on a return to Kazan, where he’s been training for a number of weeks. This does however look to be Azmoun’s last year in Russia, after following diligently his mentor Kurban Berdyev between Rubin and Rostov for the last few seasons. On his day, as he proved in Europe last term he’s one of the RPL’s top marksman, and with a greater exposure to game time this year in Rubin’s chase for Europe, he could well force a marquee move post-Russia 2018.

UEFA Coefficient - The chase continues

As we head towards the resumption of the Russian Premier League later this week, we’re already fully immersed into the business end of the European season and once again I’m going to try and suppress some of my bubbling excitement at another sniff of an upward coefficient shift. Despite a clean sweep of exits in the Champions League prior to Christmas, Russia’s club performances in the Europa League currently have them ahead of Portugal in the race to clinch an extra European birth, something which has long been desired to meet the league’s ambition of cementing itself as one of the top leagues in UEFA.

At present Russia are afforded 5 places in European competition, 2 into the Champions League (1 via the qualifiers), with the remaining 3 making their way into the Europa League. A promotion in ranks within the UEFA coefficient (into the top 6 leagues in Europe) would generate an extra UCL birth, a second direct spot in the group phase at present. The two targets ahead of them have long been France and Portugal, with the latter currently being leapfrogged by Russia as we go into the final few months of the European calendar.

While this is all very positive news, arguably the best chance we’ve had of seeing the RPL breaking into the illustrious Top 6 leagues, what’s preventing me from celebrating just yet are the missed opportunities of the past. Going off the last few campaigns I’m subconsciously priming myself for another final stage collapse. We’re running the same course as years gone by; CSKA Moscow crashed out in bottom place in the Champions League groups stages for the fourth time in succession. It proved the final straw, as it lead to the overdue exit of Leonid Slutsky, something that can only be considered a positive sign for future European campaigns where the Army men have looked a pale imitation of the side that usually fare so well (especially in an attacking sense) domestically.

The success story instead has come through debutants and heavy underdogs Rostov, who despite the early season chaos behind the scenes and being drawn in a pretty gruelling group, won admirers aplenty with their performances and ultimate results in key matches; beating Bayern Munich in Russia, before going on to clinch the crucial point needed away in Holland against PSV to ensure passage into the Europa League. A resounding victory in the Round of 32 this last week against a growingly familiar European opponent Sparta Prague, sets up a mouthwatering tie against Manchester United in the Round of 16. Going off Rostov’s previous performances against Atletico Madrid and the aforementioned Bayern in the UCL group stages, we can go into next week with more than a little hope of an upset.

Joining them in the last 16 are Krasnodar, who themselves had to contend with their very own German giant Schalke in the UEL groups stages, finding their way past two similarly poised projects in Nice (one small victory over France in the coefficients) and Red Bull Salzburg. Overcoming Fenerbahce impressively in the knockout stages sets them up with a tie with one of the tournament favourites Celta Vigo, another great award for the fledgling Russian startup who can’t be criticised of shirking their responsibility in collecting the valuable coefficient points.

In the end we could’ve had so much more, given Russia’s star performers before the winter break, Zenit, who went through the UEL group stages with 5 wins from 6, scoring an impressive tournament high of 16 goals, couldn’t progress past the first knockout round. Another familiar foe Anderlecht, who were impressively vanquished by Rostov back in the summer in the UCL, were too good for the Russians this time around who despite a valiant return leg victory in St. Petersburg were made to pay for an awful showing in Brussels by a late away goal to swing the outcome.

So, normal service resumes then? The last two years have promised much - Zenit qualified for the UCL R16 stage last term, while Zenit again (making it to the quarters) and Dinamo (to the R16) fared handsomely in the UEL the year previous. On both occasions I talked up the chances of usurping France in the coefficients, but as we’ve seen, this year in particular with Monaco and PSG in the Champions League, the RPL remain far behind in terms of quality and now considerably in terms of coefficient points. Amidst the disappointment of seeing France disappear over the horizon, comes the ever plunging stock of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, who despite having two sides still in the Champions League knockout phases are looking to lose a European spot for the 2018/19 season.

That remains the crucial lesson when it comes to coefficient chasing - ignore the Europa League at your detriment. Having built their European pedigree in the same tournament over the last five years (Benfica - finalists in 2013 and 2014, Porto - champions in 2011, Braga - finalists in 2011, Sporting semi-finalists in 2012), ironically the shift of focus to the Champions League lately that has successfully seen them reach the top table of Europe’s premier competition over the last two years could in the end see them lose out on one of their direct UCL births.

From Russia’s perspective, while we regularly pour scorn on their Champions League exploits, be it CSKA’s frustratingly defensive setups or Zenit’s choking in the final knockout stages, the likes of Dinamo (2014), Lokomotiv (2015), Krasnodar (2015 & 2016) and Zenit (2016) in the Europa League group stages have kept the ranking points ticking along quietly in the background. If what materialises is what is expected and Russia do clinch another European competition birth, some may assume Russian football is experiencing a revival of sorts, while in reality the work that has got them here has been of the more workmanlike variety in the initial section phases.

Without making too many wild assumptions, it’s safe to say Russia are in the driving seat, this of course may change, and will ultimately come down to the plights of the clubs involved in the final 16 of each competition. Simply if Porto and Benfica exit the UCL in the coming fortnight, Russia stays on top, and with the former having a mountain to climb (2-0 down after the first leg) in Turin against Juventus and the latter holding a slim 1-0 cushion over Borussia Dortmund, heading to Germany, I remain positive that neither Krasnodar nor Rostov need to pull a rabbit out the hat.

Going forward, with the coefficient taking into account the last 5 seasons of European football, Russia again look in pole position, having beaten Portugal’s average in each of the last 4 campaigns. The advantages of such a turnaround in fortunes is massive for a leagues future goals going forward. An extra UCL spot, allows greater exposure and extra security in terms of planning, which in turn can lead to targeted investment. 

The element of concern surrounds UEFA’s plans to rework the Champions League format, having disclosed last summer that the top four association nations will be granted 4 guaranteed Champions League group stage births. How this impacts on associations down the line (Russia included) is yet to be seen, likely to have a greater effect on the qualifying stages of the tournament rather than those passing straight through to the group stages. The key if Russia does see their number increase however is to not let it slip, to push forward and remember how you got here. Take your eye off the Europa League ball at your peril, Russia will still need to progress well in this competition if they wish to keep tabs with the European elite..

Can Jeonbuk break Asia's Club World Cup hoodoo?

The Club World Cup kicks off tomorrow in typically illusive fashion. I almost feel ashamed it’s crept up on me so quickly, yet the marketing for the competition remains low key to say the least. Considering the magnitude that should come with the tag of “World Champions”, FIFA have only really started pushing their highest club accolade in the last week, previously choosing to focus on their new “Best 11” awards series, which narrowly but predictably focuses solely on player’s plying their trade in Europe.

That has long been the issue with the Club World Cup, it doesn’t interest Europe. Its timing is terrible; the tournament kicks off before a European mid-week slot has concluded, it runs through a period where the majority of leagues are still playing competitive league football, but most pertinently the award doesn’t grant the current European champions any extra credibility back home.

Europe has won 8 out of the last 9 competitions, not at a canter by any means, and in most cases they’ve merely strolled through the two matches needed to ensure the title. The only defeat, Chelsea’s to Corinthians in 2012, was met with little criticism given its lack of profile back in Europe. Chelsea could return home ahead of more important matters being their league form, which the whole fan base were more concerned about, without a single eye brow raised across the continent.

For the rest of the world this instead is seen as the key opportunity to test their mettle with the very best, an actual attempt to clinch a sought after global accolade. Within Asia this remains the case. The timing of the tournament is ideally placed for them given the AFC Champions League final was only contested two weeks ago. This year’s champions Jeonbuk Motors, have the run of form, no domestic distraction and the incentive to contest for the trophy.

The gulf in class between Asia and Europe, let alone anyone else and Europe, makes a triumph extremely unlikely however. Even if they were able to make it through, to say the final (something that hasn’t ever happened in the tournament's 16 year history), by beating their European counterparts, little would be made of the achievement in the West. In reality, in this sort of scenario, the European side (Real Madrid) would be seen to have played in 2nd gear, to have put less effort in than necessary, and to be honest that would likely be true.

At the beginning of the year, the Chinese Super League ramped up spending for another transfer window in succession that finally demanded the attention of Europe. The signings were grander than ever before, while players were being swayed in their peak (rather than at the end) of their careers from leading European clubs and no less lucrative deals to ply their trade in a league that continues to be criticised as being below par.

This view is generally accurate, as long as you're comparing par to the standard of a Top 5 European league, the CSL has a long way to go, but with spending set to increase again this year the gap will close, and the question is what will be the yard stick used to plot this decreasing divide? The Club World Cup, at present, if not in the long term with reported plans to create a global Champions League type of format, is the only recognisable “semi-competitive” environment to test clubs against one another from different continents.

Since the increased awareness of Chinese football, with the inevitable scepticism and ignorant slating that comes from the Western media towards this, I rooted for the likes of Guangzhou Evergrande and Jiangsu Suning in this year’s Asian Champions League, to clinch the trophy and set up the intercontinental end of year Battle Royale I’d hope for in Japan this week. I went too far ahead of myself at the prospect, we’re a long way from China competing with Europe, this can be illustrated by both side’s stunted progress in even their initial continental challenge. A football superpower isn't created overnight.

Attention switches to personnel, namely Asia’s leading light in Omar Abdulrahman. Clearly a talent that has outgrown his continent, ready for the test that Europe can offer him. The stumbling block in his way seems to be trust, he’s never going to have Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United come in for him, on the wages he desires, with a first team fast track written into his contract. His nationality stops this to a degree; however talented an Emirati player is, a so called big club isn’t going to roll out anything more than a short term contract on modest wages.

In this case a Neymar-esc shop window at the Club World Cup could be hoped for. When Barcelona cruised past Santos in 2011 to seal their CWC title, Neymar for the most part was a mere spectator, but it was at least a chance for clubs to run the rule over a player against top class opposition. I would never expect Abdulrahman or Al Ain to challenge the likes of Real Madrid, but it could potentially be a bridging opportunity to generate interest in a move.

In the end of course football is played on the pitch by a team of 11 men, merely money thrown in from China or a one man magician in the shape of Abdulrahman is no match for the best all-round team in Asia at the moment, being Jeonbuk Motors. Functional, over any real wow factor, no big names (outside East Asia anyway), but the best unit of the year, the most worthy candidate to take on the rest of the world.

Their draw is tough, they’ve been paired with the CONCACAF champions America of Mexico in the quarter-finals, a hurdle where Asia representation has fallen twice over the last four years. On the other side, being drawn against either the African or Oceania champions has proved an easier route in the past, while aside to Guangzhou last year (which conveniently was against America also), Asia have usually been one step behind their North American equivalent.

It would however set up the glamour tie that all Asia wants; an encounter with UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid. Putting aside the fact we won’t have the chance of an intriguing battle of new money vs. old money, or Amoory vs. CR7, Jeonbuk v Real still offers something, if not too much promise. Until one of these matches, however fortunately it may come, falls for the underdogs, I think we’ll continually hear snobbery at the culmination of the end of year showpiece, which is continually ignored across Europe. I’ll be left with hope though, however small, that this could this be the year Asia makes it's way to the final.

Season Preview (Russia 16/17)

League Name: Russian Premier League (RPL)
Start Date: 30th July
Honours (15/16): CSKA Moscow (League champions), Zenit St. Petersburg (Russian Cup winners)
Teams qualified for European football (16/17): CSKA Moscow, Rostov (both UCL), Zenit St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Spartak Moscow (all UEL)

Another season rolls in, amidst another changeable climate in the Russian game. Off the back of one of their most disastrous major tournaments in living memory at Euro 2016, Sbornaya and the Russian Premier League have been widely critiqued across the country as the cause and also the potential solution to the national team’s woes, as the country prepares for its World Cup hosting in two years’ time.

After last year’s reduction of overseas playing recruits to six, there's been an upsurge in demand for this to be reversed immediately to increase competitiveness for places and quality within the national team talent pool, ironically the reason why it was first introduced by the RFU. This all seems to have fallen on deaf ears however, with the RFU continuing to plow forward in their pursuit to see more Russian nationals in action, by even suggesting that the limits could be extended further.

Evidence shows that this isn't improving what little talent Russia has. Young players again are becoming the main story for the wrong reasons, commanding ridiculous salaries after only featuring fleetingly. The transfer of Rifat Zhemaletdinov falls into this category perfectly, a talented individual who was in high demand and granted high wages after only appearing in a handful of games, as his transfer from Lokomotiv to Rubin attests to. All it would seem because he's a talented Russian player, something in desperately short supply at the moment.

What this develops is players without motivation, idolised by their employers who need to keep up their home quota with little enticing them to further their careers elsewhere in Europe. The general image of young Russian footballers wasn't helped this summer either by the perceived actions of national team players' Aleksandr Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev, who were criticised for partying extortionately a week after Russia crashed out of the Euros.

All this is extenuated somewhat by the fact that Russian domestic football is starting to fall behind the rest of Europe. Over the last few years, the pursuit of an extra direct Champions League birth has become tangible, tantalising fans to dream that the RPL could become a dominant force within European football. The chances however have come and gone, with countless disappointments on the continent, with 2015 champions Zenit St. Petersburg arguably being the only side to come out of this pursuit with any credit whatsoever.

Come the new season, the RPL is dealt an even heavier blow, with their most competitive side on the continent coming under major reconstruction. Mirroring the stop-start progress of the new Zenit Arena (which was due for completion this year, before plans were put back again), the team itself has seen many leave as a consequence of finishing outside the UCL qualification places. The biggest names in Russian football have either departed or are due to; Brazilian striker Hulk has joined Shanghai SIPG in China, while Belgian internationals Axel Witsel and Nicolas Lombaerts are set for moves to England.

A promising change however is that in the dugout, with arguably the best performing coach in Eastern Europe over the last decade in Mircea Lucescu, joining from Shakhtar Donetsk replacing the outgoing Andre Villas-Boas. With high expectations held of him, Zenit will aim to return to the Champions League at the first attempt as a bare minimum. Pre-season signs have been promising, beating champions CSKA 1-0 in last weekend’s Super Cup, in which Zenit illustrated the sort of dominance they can potentially wield. While the likes of Dzyuba, Kokorin and Shatov disappointed in France over the summer, on their day they remain head and shoulders above the rest in the domestic game.

In the red corner, as far as the title goes, CSKA Moscow are similarly reconstructing, after star striker Ahmed Musa joined English champions Leicester City over the summer. In his place, comes the giant Ivorian Lacina Traore, formerly of Anzhi Makhachkala and Kuban Krasnodar. Hardly a like for like replacement in terms of style, but similar will be expected of the striker in terms of output to fill the dearth in attacking quality at the Army club. In defence, while experience continues to be the name of the game, the last few months have hardly illustrated confidence in Berezutski and co. as a dependable back line.

It all looks a little grim then, especially when you consider CSKA head the way in Russia’s hopes of European success, having failed to make it out of the group stage of the UCL in their last three attempts. Joining them in Europe's elite competition, however briefly, are last season’s fairy-tale club Rostov. As I predicted earlier in the year, finishing second for the club is likely to prove calamitous for Russia's European coefficient, as they now have to undertake potentially two difficult rounds to even qualify for the UCL group stages, and if they fail at the first hurdle another similar strength playoff to get through to the Europa League.

A 2-2 draw at home to Anderlecht on Tuesday was an entertaining affair, however pointed to the realisation that we’re unlikely to see Rostov in the UCL for much longer, after the Belgians clinched two away goals. Considering their own interests at home, Rostov will again be looking to upset the apple cart domestically. Much of their cause starts and finishes with their coach Kurban Berdyev, who continues to evade being tied down after late disagreements with the club hierarchy over the team’s future direction. Throw in the on-off transfer of Sardar Azmoun, and Rostov like many go into this season with a lot of question marks against their name.

There’s every possibility that the title race may open up, even more than last year, which can only be a good thing for the neutral. Champions in 2009, Rubin Kazan are starting to show they’re on the way back to emulating their successful days with easily the most high profile signings of the summer. Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, Belgian striker Maxime Lestienne and experienced defender Carlos Zambrano have all joined up to a team under new management. Spaniard Javi Gracia joins the club after two years with Malaga and a wealth of experience in La Liga.

If Rubin are going places, the opposite can be said of Lokomotiv Moscow whose transfer activity has been subdued at best, with skipper Vedran Corluka likely to depart in the coming week. Across town at Spartak Moscow, the fans can at least point to a new signing of two. Fernando from Sampdoria is an interesting addition, while much of their success in an attacking sense will again come down to whether Dutch attacker Quincy Promes stays at the club until the end of the window.

A final case for potential success could come from Krasnodar, who have purchased Marat Izmailov to work in addition to last season’s golden boot winner Fedor Smolov in attack. The European heroics of Icelandic centre back Ragnar Sigurdsson have been reclaimed for now, and but for a notable transfer or two, Krasnodar’s squad on paper at least looks the most stable of the dark horse contenders and a credible outsider to leapfrog those who falter ahead of them.

Down at the other end, Dinamo Moscow’s relegation to the FNL last term is a clear reminder that no team’s safe of a quick and devastating decline. After a miserable season for much of it, Anzhi Makhachkala’s late rally saved them in the final weeks of the season. Yet again they’ll be many people’s tips to be contesting the relegation spots this term alongside Ufa, Amkar Perm and the three promoted clubs in FC Orenburg (champions of FNL, promoted to the RPL for the first time in their history), Arsenal Tula (who return after one year away) and Tom Tomsk (who beat Kuban in May’s relegation playoffs).

Ones to watch:

Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar) - Last season's top scorer has a big season ahead of him to prove last year was no mere fluke. With a potential title push, Europa League football and engineering himself into a workable position in a pre-World Cup Russian national team, he'll have plenty of opportunities to impress.

Lacina Traore (CSKA Moscow) - The ranging figure returns to the league where he made his name after a disappointing spell in France. Last time in the RPL he dovetailed beautifully with Samuel Eto'o with Anzhi, an opportunity that won't be emulated this time around as he'll be thrust alone as the only notable striking option in the domestic champions' squad.

Alex Song (Rubin Kazan) - An undoubted talent who's played at the very highest level, but his commitment to the cause will be questioned from the first match. If he plays to his potential, Rubin have clinched themselves the base of a European contesting midfield, with bags of talent pouring forward from him in attack.

Euro 2016: A mountain too high for Slutsky

If there ever was a video to capture the mood of Russian football at the moment, the widely shared reaction of national team boss Leonid Slutsky last week fits the bill perfectly. At the beginning of the month I wrote a rather pessimistic preview of Sbornaya’s forthcoming Euro 2016 campaign, but little did I expect the uphill task that I had predicted to become ever more vertical with every minute played in France. Less than two weeks since the tournament kicked off, Russia are heading home, with 1 point to show for their efforts, or lack of after a humiliating 3-0 reverse by Wales.

The reasons for such a dramatic failure are countless, ranging from pure misfortune, right through to fault being left at the door of pretty much every stakeholder within the national game, including national team coach, players and RFU alike. With only two years to go until their hosting of the World Cup, Russia are left with only friendlies to prepare for the biggest sporting event the country’s ever seen, and they will have to do so with a new manager after Slutsky immediately withdrew any suggestion that he was to extend his stay in charge.

To start with, injuries were a clear factor in the team’s dismal displays. Pre his squad announcement at the end of May, Slutsky knew he was without their most talented midfielder in Alan Dzageov, arguably their best wide man in Denis Cheryshev alongside regular qualification starting left back Yuri Zhirkov. In preparation the situation worsened, with Dzagoev’s expected partner in midfield Igor Denisov withdrawing in the warm up friendlies through injury, while their predicted replacements in the starting line-up Denis Glushakov and Roman Shirokov failed to find total match fitness until the final match.

The final nail in the coffin came late on, with Oleg Shatov pulling out from the must win match against Wales. By this stage, his appearance probably wasn’t going to influence any suggestion of clinching three points, however it almost certainly confirmed Slutsky’s selection for the pivotal encounter, one that hadn’t impressed in their previous two group matches with England and Slovakia.

When it comes to Slutsky’s tactical nous, prior to the tournament you could point to positives or negatives. Positives being his excellent record with CSKA Moscow, an attacking team fresh off the back of clinching the Russian Premier League title, or you could instead look to his cautious, often timid approach in Europe, where CSKA despite their dominance domestically have looked a pale imitation of themselves in the Champions League, while the likes of rivals Zenit have proved more than capable on the same stage.

When it came to Euros duty, Slutsky reverted to the latter; failing to play to his team’s strengths, selecting players out of position, and clearly demonstrating he hadn’t planned his tactics through enough before his final squad selection. Each of the three games Slutsky started all three of his squad’s forwards, nonsensical tactically, as all three lacked width to fully utilise their potential, but at the very least nullifying any attacking changes from the bench.

Slutsky can initially point to critical injuries in centre midfield, and while their replacements didn’t live up to the billing fully, the attacking department was full of riches to be plundered. Slutsky had two ready-made wide men at his disposal, two players that would have played into the hands of first choice striker Artem Dzyuba, in the aforementioned Shatov and Aleksandr Samedov. The former was painfully utilised centrally instead, other than a short last 20 minute stint against Slovakia out wide (which led to Russia’s late goal), while the latter didn’t even make it on the field.

Much was made of the ageing backline duo of Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich, but the pair looked solid against the strongest team in the group in England. Predictably however, when Russia started chasing the game against Slovakia and Wales, the defensive frailties were exposed. All five goals conceded in these games were avoidable, and while Igor Smolnikov may have impressed some outside viewers with his willing attacking play, he was the man caught out on more than one occasion.

In an attacking sense it’s hard to pick out which players were at fault, due to the questionable tactical decisions put in place. 20 year old attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, tipped as the breakthrough name in the Russian squad, was unusually pushed back into a holding role, a position he neither looked comfortable in, nor was expected to excel in. Further up the pitch there were some nice interplays between the attacking trio, however a miserable tally of 2 goals across two games (both via defensive routes) tells its own story.

The immediate outcry to the humbling by Wales, was to focus on the domestic game, which despite the hope brought by an influx of money over the last decade has broadly petered out. The debate ignited around Russia’s plans to further restrict the use of overseas nationals playing in the league, which in the 2014/15 season was 7, going down to 6 the following year, but some were even questioning whether this was low enough.

Going against the grain of the RFU, national team players Vasili Berezutski and Roman Shirokov were quick to deride the restrictions, the former stating "It's clear that the limit on foreign players doesn't work. Russian players need to move to Europe." The very fact that within a squad of 23, only one player played outside of the country underlines the willingness to move abroad. Even then days after the tournament it looks like that one player, being recently nationalised Roman Neustadter is set to join the RPL also with CSKA.

Further restrictions to overseas player registration is going to intensify the country’s top talent in fewer clubs. Already CSKA and Zenit feel this, contributing 13 of the 23 members to the squad, some of whom aren’t even regular first-teamers. The criticism of this way of hoarding talent, is that player’s relax on high wages, much higher than what they would get elsewhere in Europe and become lazy in their career development. Russia’s home based members, are only bettered by one nation illustrates their urgency to move forward, even the likes of Spain, Italy and Germany are seeing more of their players move abroad.

The only comparable example is England, where all 23 of their members still play domestically. While it’s easy to suggest players are unwilling to test themselves abroad, the lack of foreign player restrictions alongside being in arguably the best league in the world for talent is still leading to a competitive national team squad that could compete for titles.

Looking forward the RFU may concentrate on this as a priority to make the national team more competitive by 2018, given every man in the squad bar one will be 27 or over by the World Cup. The over reliance on the defensive duo stated before of Berezutski and Ignashevich continues to look the most severe cause for concern. Given neither has any worthy competition so far, you could well see a combined age of 73 trotting out at centre-back come the World Cup.

In the dugout is another question. With Slutsky handing over the reins, immense pressure not only on a footballing level but also on a nationalistic one will be expected of whoever comes in. Whether it be Stanislav Cherchesov, Yuri Semen, Kurban Berdyev or A.N. Other, the task at hand will be not for the feint hearted. As we gaze back at the youngest coach at the Euros' furious, stressed and crumpled demeanour, many will ask, why would you want to put yourself in his shoes?

Euro 2016: Slutsky's uphill task

Nearly a year ago to the day, Russia were humbled in their own backyard by Austria, leaving the Sbórnaya comfortably adrift of their rivals in the race for Euro 2016 qualification. Fast forward 12 months, considering where they were, potentially one of the darkest days in recent Russian football history, the fact I’m writing a tournament preview of this squad is something to be positive about, despite the months of general weariness that followed their qualification.

The positives to come from that Austrian defeat were quickly realised, the long overdue sacking of Fabio Capello, and the resulting appointment of current CSKA Moscow boss Leonard Slutsky were universally welcomed across Russia. Slutsky’s appointment was initially seen as a temporary fix on a job share basis, to re-stabilise the ship ahead of the Euros, and how (!) he accomplished it. 

When the national team returned to qualification in September they returned with vigor beating rivals for second spot Sweden 1-0 in Moscow before sweeping away Liechtenstein 7-0. Assurance of their qualification followed with hard fought but crucial victories over Moldova and Montenegro, Russia’s bleak situation had been turned on it's head within a matter of months.

The style of play hadn’t necessarily changed a hell of a lot, Russia were still sitting deep to compensate for an ageing backline, but with the ball they had more freedom to express themselves, in truth they looked happier to be part of the national team setup, something that hadn't been seen under Capello for a while. 

Instantly the change of management gave the side the boost the fan base craved. However, as we look back on it, a temporary boost is all that it probably was, as the same old problems inevitably rear their heads in run up to France.

The headaches that have climaxed over the last week of preparation resulting in two unfavourable friendly performances started with the initial squad selection. 

A notable caveat to this would be the miserable and lengthening casualty list which continues to plow the team. Defensive anchor Igor Denisov is the latest injury victim forced to watch from home, joining Denis Cheryshev, Alan Dzagoev, Oleg Kuzmin and Yuri Zhirkov in missing out on the squad, all of whom would’ve likely been on the plane to France, however the latter’s possible exclusion could’ve been more to do with his strained relationships with Slutsky than his general fitness.

The injury to Dzagoev, ahead of the squad announcement was seen as the team's killer blow, losing someone of such influence and ability would hurt any team. But the recent news concerning Denisov's withdrawal could possibly hit the side's fortunes even further, this time a player of less obvious technical ability, but losing someone with the grit and positioning that Denisov offers creates yet another cavernous hole within the Russian midfield.

Aside from the injuries, or extenuated from them, Russia's dearth in up and coming talent continues to be a cause for concern. Russia go into the Euros with the second oldest squad in the tournament, a squad averaging just below 30, while only one player is under 25 (CSKA's 20 year old midfielder Aleksandr Golovin). Now if a team was at its peak this would be understandable, however for a side in rebuild ahead of their home World Cup in two years time, many will rightly ask; where's the future going to come from?

It seems for now it may depend on numerous short term fixes. The last minute nationalisation of Brazilian keeper Guilherme and former Germany international Roman Neustadter has assured depth to the squad however it doesn't add any extra quality on the field as both will likely be down the pecking order next week. 

The decision to recruit from outside is even more surprising given the controversy of offering foreign players citizenship has caused before, without any positive implication to be felt in the run up to 2018.

Neustadter's inclusion initially seemed the sensible option to finally create some competition at centre back, amongst the settled but increasingly creaky CSKA Moscow pairing of Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich. This opportunity looks now to have been lost, with the latter two commanding back-to-back starts in the last two warm up friendlies, Neustadter only used as a second half substitute. 

The defence then looks pretty settled, which Slutsky can point to as a positive, with the central duo's familiarity with keeper Igor Akinfeev behind them further underlining this. However up field, with injury and rotation coming into play, the attack looks less predictable.

Come Saturday, Russia will line up in either a 4231 or a 433 formation, the latter of which was fully utilised in the last week against Czech Republic and Serbia and looks the favourite to be rolled out again against England. 

The debate surrounding who those front three will be is turning into the most animated talking point ahead of kick off, after Slutsky rolled out the attacking trio of Kokorin-Dzyuba-Smolov from the start in both warm up tests. All three of course are more accustomed to the central striking role, and based on the last week's performances' they haven't fully embraced the current strategy of utlising them all from the start.

The shoe horning all of Russia's three strikers in the squad into the first 11, strikes some as a pursuit of fantasy football over tactical profligacy. Artem Dzyuba has had the best season of his career, notching impressive figures in Euro qualification and the Champions League, Krasnodar's Fedor Smolov was the Golden Boot winner domestically, while Aleksandr Kokorin, despite yet fulfilling his promise since his move to Zenit in February, is clearly the most likely Russian striker to turn a game with his ability. The selection headache for Slutsky of who to pick has simply been answered; select all three.

Of course selecting the best 11 players doesn't lead to the best team performance on the pitch, which one would assume would see either Dzyuba or Smolov take a place on the bench to be used as a second half substitute rather than shifted out to an unfamiliar left flank role. 

On the right side, Kokorin does have greater capability to fit the role, and with a more conventional left midfielder (most likely Oleg Shatov), Kokorin's defensive responsibility will likely be lessened.

In a usual world this would seem the logical switch, however with Denisov's last minute injury pull up and worries over Roman Shirokov lasting the whole 90 minutes, fielding all three forwards is far more than just a possibility. 

This asks further questions of Slutsky's decision to only take three strikers, while veteran Aleksandr Kerzhakov could've easily been selected as cover. Instead his ex-Zenit team mate Artur Yuspurov has become the beneficiary of Denisov's absence, jumping at the chance via a strange coincidence by which Yuspurov was staying in the same hotel as the national team on a personal holiday in Monaco last week. If anything was a mere matter of convenience, these circumstances suggest so.

Anyway I digress, and for as much as I question some of the squad selections or the team's tactics going into the tournament, the proof will inevitablely be in the pudding come Saturday's kick off. 

If England turn up and live up to their ability, Russia will struggle, while in matches against Slovakia and Wales the following week, you'd expect the fight for advancement to become more essential.

It's important to note that this will be the last month of competitive action the team will have until they host the World Cup in two years time (discounting the semi-competitive warm up that is the Confederations Cup next summer). 

Any experiment here, be it affording more time to young Golovin in the centre of midfield, easing Neustadter into the first team or trying out a new system to take forward into their preparations will prove invaluable down the line. All of this of course will play second fiddle to the pursuit of progression, as it should do, however with Slutsky's temporary spell in charge possibly coming to an end in July, you'd question if anyone has even half an eye on 2018 at this early stage.

As a Russian football fan, born and living in England, I'm wincing at thought of Kane, Vardy, Alli et al, coming up against the aged legs of Berezutski and Ignashevich. It has though been proven before that Slutsky has it in him to rile up a squad on the ropes as he did 12 months ago. I'll have that at the forefront of my mind as Saturday evening draws ever nearer.

Russia's three team UCL dream

It’s that time of the year again; where Russian football fans are forgiven for concerning themselves more with the number crunching off the field rather than the return of their domestic league after the winter break. The RPL may only have returned a few days ago, but attention turns, all be it briefly to the real missed opportunity for Russian sides over the last few years, in the form of European football progression.

I spoke optimistically of Russia’s chances to overcome France in the UEFA coefficients last year going into the knockout phases. In the end it was a long shot, and having to rely on a number of your rivals slipping up, yet alone the erratic nature of Russian clubs fortunes in a post-winter European run in, the opportunity inevitably passed by. As we stand Russia are awarded 5 teams to qualify for European competition, including only 1 direct progression into the Champions League and one playoff birth. The ongoing ambition is to move up the confederation's rankings and secure a well-converted second group stage birth, leading to potentially three UCL qualified Russian teams.

The reason why I’m invigorated to write this once more, on the eve of potentially Russia’s last showing in Europe this season, is that despite saying it year on year it’s a much more realistic goal this year this time around, we’re edging closer for sure. This time around it’s Portugal that’s directly in the firing line, yet France in the end could also be usurped, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Overcoming either of these nations would mean the RPL gaining another direct Group Stage ticket into the Champions League, granting the league not only a greater footing in Europe, but also widen the market to those such as the growing Krasnodar who have narrowly missed out on league qualification for the top European competition most recently.

As it stands Portugal are holding a small lead (0.8 of a UEFA coefficient point) over Russia with two teams to play, France are a further point ahead but like Russia only have one team left in the competition. In simple terms, a victory alongside progression to the next round of the tournament should garner just under a point, thus a positive result this week should put Russia in the driving seat to move up. Once again RPL’s sole lightning rod Zenit are left to blaze the trail for others to succeed. It was similar last season, as they progressed to the quarters to ultimately fall to champions Sevilla in the Europa League, this time however Zenit bucked up their form from the start and are quite handily placed this time in the UCL.

Blistering through their group Zenit illustrated what quality Russian football on their day can have against the rest of Europe. This wasn’t fixed to the Champions League, as Krasnodar and Lokomotiv Moscow overcame European heavyweights such as Borussia Dortmund and Sporting CP respectively (the latter could prove the most influential on both sides of the coin come the end of the season) in the UEL. However, it’s been the start of the knockout phases that has once again seen RPL clubs run into difficulty.

By the time the RPL returned last weekend from winter hibernation, three months had passed without competitive football, not ideal for the likes of Krasnodar and Loko who’s Round of 32 double headers against Sparta Prague and Fenerbahce were scheduled in before their domestic return. Subsequently, despite looking favourites on paper, both sides crumbled rather spectacularly. Zenit, fortunate in the fact that UCL legs are separated by four weeks at least go into their second leg on Wednesday with at least one league match in their legs.

They go into the match with the stakes raised that much further, given they’re the final RPL team left in Europe, but most pertinently the nationality of their opposition. Portuguese giants Benfica are one of the two Portuguese sides left in Europe, which their domestic league knows all too well, a safe navigation through to the UCL quarters will guarantee them their current allocation going into another season. If not and Zenit do squeeze through, the balls are back in the air and their immediate future could lie in the hands of their other hope SC Braga, who despite being drawn in a moderately favourable Round of 16 UEL tie with Fenerbache, have arguably gone further than many had thought possible of them this season.

If we allow ourselves to look even higher, France’s sole representative left in Europe is the resource-plenty PSG, who’ve been isolated by the likes of Saint-Etienne and Marseille after they succumbed to the same UEL knockout fate as their Russian counterparts earlier this month. PSG have the greater personnel that’s for sure, but the stronger challenge, in English champions Chelsea who are regaining some of their title winning form at the best possible time. They do however hold a narrow lead, but it’s far from a certainty of how this’ll play out.

As I stray to consider the implications of rivals’ results, I remind myself that the top priority remains Zenit’s own result. All these musings pale into insignificance if Zenit fail to overturn a 0-1 deficit from the first leg in Portugal. From the first tie, Zenit looked competent but little more, Benfica much of the same, but crucially they found the killer late breakthrough and avoided conceding the dreaded away goal. Saturday’s goalless draw in Krasnodar, wouldn’t have been what either side needed in terms of their domestic campaign, but the extra match experience to shake off the rust can give Zenit at least some greater confidence that they can avoid the winter-break return hoodoo. It might not often happen, but the whole of Russian football will be, (at least they should be) cheering on Zenit on Wednesday which has more up for grabs than can initially be seen.