Demobilization

CSKA finished a disastrous season

The army team, having lost to Fenerbahçe 1:3, ended their most disastrous season in recent years. Two and a half years after the triumph in the UEFA Cup, CSKA failed in the domestic championship, and then became perhaps the worst club in the Champions League, without leaving even a hint of what the team would be like next season.

Any team goes through periods of birth, maturity, heyday and decline. The army team experienced this cycle almost in an instant. Somehow, unnoticed, a team capable of winning the UEFA Cup was born in Russia, and after two years of memories of its success, it suddenly died. And not from old age - many of this team are not yet 25 years old. But too many victories in recent years have robbed the players of the current CSKA of a taste for football life. And those who celebrated the victory in the UEFA Cup in May 2005 have not grown up in these two and a half years.

Akinfeev may have been hampered by the first serious injury of his career, causing him to miss almost the entire season. This break was beneficial for the goalkeeper himself - he, almost the only one in the squad, still had the desire to go on the field at the end of the season. But in his absence the team lost five or six points in the league. For Ignashevich, additional experience did not add reliability, and for the Berezutsky brothers, the transition to another age category became completely unpleasant - they are no longer forgiven for their mistakes, attributing them to youth.

The defensive midfielders haven't grown either - they've simply aged. Rahimić can no longer compensate for his shortcomings in speed with soft fouls, and the Bosnian has received many more cards. Semberas has not improved his understanding of the game enough to look as reliable in the center as on the flank, and Aldonin has gradually lost a little of all his best qualities. Dudu, who was supposed to become the main leader in the center of the field, simply stopped growing - the Brazilian national team hardly needs such a midfielder. CSKA's flank wings have also been cut. Tired Zhirkov and never-mature Krasic can no longer quickly deliver the ball to the attack line.

And only this line itself, made up of Brazilians, managed to increase demand for itself over these two years. No matter how poorly CSKA performs, Vagner Love is still called up to the Brazilian national team, and information periodically appears about the permanent interest of leading clubs in him. Recently, even Chelsea, when considering candidates to replace the injured Drogba, are increasingly turning their attention to the army man.

There is a steady interest in young Jo. But the real mystery is the fact that the most concrete offer comes from Carvalho, who has not played all year, with whom Inter wants to sign a five-year contract. The Italian club no longer hides its intentions, declaring that it is taking the Brazilian for the future and is ready to loan him out to, for example, Empoli for the next six months. It is not surprising that they are all bored, and they do not see any special prospects in CSKA, which, moreover, is missing out on the next Champions League. But, as the story of Matuzalem and Shakhtar shows, leaving an Eastern European club without a scandal is not so easy.

CSKA, however, will still have to rebuild the team. And the match in Istanbul showed that the volume of selection work must be enormous: CSKA’s latest purchases will most likely be included in the “expenses” item. In any case, the Turk Erkin Caner, the Brazilians Ramon and Ratinho, and the Polish forward Janczyk are not ready to replace any of the players from the base that won the UEFA Cup.

Andrey VDOVIN