CSKA Moscow did not start the season with any sort of grand ambitions as their limited funds meant that they had to do with mostly what they had from last season. They still had an uncharacteristically mixed start in terms of results as home losses to the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow, Rubin and Akhmat in just the opening five games in front of their fans left them some way off the early pace-setters Zenit. CSKA looked quite devoid of attacking firepower, with Vitinho the only one looking consistently prolific and reliable.
Their main strength was in midfield where Pontus Wernbloom and Alan Dzagoev were being aided by the brilliant Aleksandr Golovin, who was maturing into a key figure despite his young age. CSKA continued to look very tepid and limited in the final third as the season progressed and had at one point during the campaign a run of nine games in the league where they scored more than once on just once occasions. On the other hand, their back three was holding up well in most games and they had a run of six clean sheets in a row during that time span too.
The team showed impressive courage and togetherness to get a big win at direct rival Krasnodar and soon after that held out for a point at leaders Lokomotiv Moscow. These results kept CSKA in and around the Champions League places but a resounding 3:0 loss at arch rivals Spartak Moscow in December left Viktor Goncharenko's side with damaged pride during the winter break. The arrival of former player Ahmed Musa on a loan deal in the spring added bite and pace to the attack and the Army Men looked much more exciting and tough to handle at the back.
Simultaneously, they enjoyed their best campaign in Europe since 2005 as they got past a strong side like Lyon, playing their best game of the season in a 3:2 win in France, to set up a Europa League quarter-finla against Arsenal. They were swept in the first leg but pushed the Gunners close in the return leg before eventually bowing out with their heads high.
CSKA finished the league campaign strong as a superb comeback over Krasnodar earned them a crucial 2:1 win a few weeks before the end. They even finished second, above Spartak, at the end of the season and go into the Champions League groups directly. That must be qualified as a real success for a side that often looked too vapid and shallow. Yet Goncharenko has squeezed all that he could from a pretty limited and small squad, often trusting youngsters, and deserves lots of acclaim for that. .
