Football Season Guide

Rizespor enjoyed a solid last season W14 D8 L16. They showed two very different faces. Played very well at home but struggled on the road. Still, this was enough for 9th place in the final standings. The main concerns last season were in defence. Only 4 other teams, including the bottom 2 sides, conceded more goals than the 58 Rize shipped in. Yasar and Pehlivan underperformed. All of Alikulov, Mocsi and Topcu had injury problems. The main goal ahead of coach Palut in his 2nd year in charge will be to keep his defenders fit and match ready. On paper Rize have the bodies to be much better in defence. With no changes taking place in that zone so far this summer it seems Palut will trust the same personnel again. After his first year as a regular young Yasar (21) should be better this season. The only notable departures so far were Shelvey and Gaich. The former will be missed but Gaich was inconsistent. Added veteran Sowe in attack already so it will be between him and Minchev to battle for the only starting spot in the preferred 4-2-3-1 shape. Olawoyin missed most of last season injured. He’s seen as an important player and if he stays fit now his presence should improve the scoring record. Papanikolaou and Buljubasic were added to the squad as like-for-like replacements for Shelvey. Papanikolaou has more experience and he’s more likely to establish in the role as a regular.