Former Moscow Spartak player Yegor Titov weighed in on the current landscape of Russian football, weighing which clubs could push Zenit Saint Petersburg in the Premier League. He pointed to a trio of challengers beyond Spartak and CSKA Moscow, suggesting Lokomotiv could rise to the occasion and that Dynamo might become more exciting with new leadership. Titov also noted Krasnodar’s strong show in the most recent matchups, expressing optimism about the squad’s potential while emphasizing that Zenit remains the team to beat at the moment.
According to Titov, Zenit’s dominance in recent seasons is not simply a fluke. The squad managed to secure the Russian Premier League title for a fifth consecutive time in the 2022/23 campaign, finishing the season with a commanding points tally. Under the guidance of head coach Sergei Semak, Zenit clinched the championship before the final rounds, edging Spartak Moscow 3–2 in a home match during Round 26 and finishing with 70 points from 30 rounds. This level of performance underscored Zenit’s sustained strength and consistency across the season.
CSKA Moscow finished second in the standings, amassing 58 points, while Spartak Moscow trailed in third with 54 points. The gap between the top two and the rest of the table highlighted Zenit’s clear advantage throughout the campaign and set the stage for renewed competition in the following season as clubs recalibrated their strategies and rosters to challenge the reigning champions.
Valery Ovchinnikov, the former head coach of Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod, offered a candid assessment, noting that Zenit’s title run in 2022/23 contained elements that deserved closer scrutiny. His perspective reflected a broader conversation among coaches and analysts about where Zenit’s strengths lay and how rivals could close the gap, particularly in areas such as squad depth, tactical adaptability, and the ability to sustain performance across a demanding schedule. The commentary contributed to a broader, ongoing dialogue about the competitive balance within the league and the evolving strategies that teams must deploy to challenge the established leader.