Rostov looked like potent challengers for top 5 finish for very long this season, but in the end the long run in the Russian Cup and the demands of busy league schedule in spring proved too much and the team’s challenge faded away in 2019.
Coach Karpin also had busy transfer windows as he signed 14 new players in the summer, but also made major overhaul of the squad in the winter when 8 players left and 8 new were signed in.
Rostov recorded 6 wins in the first 12 rounds, but then they went on seven-game winless run on each side of the winter break and this saw them dropping out of the top 5. This winless run coincided with impressive cup displays that saw Rostov reach the semi-finals after eliminating both Zenit and Krasnodar.
The focus on the cup semi-final brought another dip in the league in April when away defeats vs. Ufa and Orenburg, followed by draws against strugglers Anzhi and Dinamo did the damage and prevented Karpin’s men from reaching Europe. They also failed to make the Russian Cup final.
Many see the active winter transfer policy as move for next season and Karpin is definitely building a squad that could be amongst the hardest to beat in Russia in 2019/20. Rostov’s defence has been their strongest asset anyway, with the RSMs also remaining very good at home.
