This time Handballfast focuses on the current champion of Russia as part of the traditional summer view on the upcoming season. CSKA will have a sparring with SKA Minsk on August 12, and the Belgazprombank Cup in Brest.
The preliminary line-up of CSKA-2023/24:
gk — Vadim Bogdanov (1986), Andrey Vereshchagin (1996), Nikita Nikulin (1996);
lw — Dmitriy Ionov (2000), Egor Kochura (1996);
rw — Aleksey Fokin (1997), Dmitry Chernetsov (2001), Daniil Shishkarev (1988);
p — Vyacheslav Kasatkin (1996), Kirill Kremnev (1997), Andrey Korkin (1999), Roman Tsarapkin (1995);
lb — Ilya Belevtsov (2000), Julian Hiryk (1998), Aleksandr Grebenkin (2002), Stefan Fedorov (2004);
cb — Valentin Vorobyev (1995), Pavel Pronkin (2003), Artur Rud (1998);
rb — Sergey Ivanov (2000), Stanislav Shabelnikov (2001);
coaching staff — Khodkov Oleg Valeryevich, Kosmodemyansky Vladislav Alekseevich, Sitov Kirill Andreevich (general physical training coach).
Stability is a sign of excellence
There are no major changes in the men’s CSKA, and it makes sense since Oleg Khodkov’s wards are quite confident in Russian handball after winning the champions title for the second consecutive time and besides the gold-2023/24 the Cup and Super Cup of Russia as well.
Indeed, not everything was smooth with the capital team during the season, as the team’s captain Daniil Shishkarev noted in the interview to Handballfast, but finally they shot, when needed, and sometimes just withstood.
After the championship CSKA lost only Egor Kochura, who was on loan from SKA Minsk after an injury, the left wing Stanislav Sadovsky and the Chinese pivot Se Cenlun, who desperately wanted to return to his native land. There are two acquisitions at the moment — a pivot Vyacheslav Kasatkin, who returned from Slovakia to the coach Vyacheslav Khodkov, and the right back Stanislav Shabelnikov from Belarus.
Let’s have a detailed look on the squad.
Bogdanov and the others
It seems like the leadership of CSKA can be relatively calm for the position of a goalkeeper, which can be confirmed by the absence of even rumors concerning any changes. To be honest, not everyone believed in experienced Vadim Bogdanov, who left the Polish championship last year, but he showed true excellence and instilled confidence in his partners during key matches. By and large, Vereshchagin, as well as Nikulin, also succeeded in their objectives of changers. In general, it is likely to be the same in the coming season, except that, probably, one young goalkeeper will join.
The youth, prove it!
As we have already mentioned, the left-hander Shabelnikov from Minsk will add the back line, it was an obvious decision, taking into consideration the fact that Sergey Ivanov missed a lot due to the injuries.
Indeed, Daniil Shishkarev is definitely a hero — the winger, who found himself on the apparently forgotten position of a back player, where he had played a long time ago and for a while in Chekhov, didn’t blunder, but the top-club needed a profile right back. And now the club has one. Though, a new appearance of the captain on this position shouldn’t be ruled out, since it works! In addition, Aleksey Kurochkin is growing up in the club’s system…
Aleksandr Grebenkin delighted all Handballfast readers after the promise to return to the court in autumn. But the club experiences no special difficulties with a position of the left back — there are hardworking Belevtsov, a Belarusian wizard Hiryk, his compatriot Rud, who is familiar with this position (especially in the national team of his country), and young Stefan Fedorov, who was called Tsar Cannon in the team following one of commentators and who has to decide not only in episodes.
Regarding central back position, the club has the same Rud, Vorobyev, who performed great at the end of the past season, Pavel Pronkin, who went to the training session with the main team (prove it, the youth!) and again, if we take a look below at the club’s vertical, there are talented guys.
Minus Sadovsky…
The fact that CSKA didn’t try to hold Sadovsky may be surprising, but did it even make sense, considering Kochura’s comeback? Especially when he and Ionov (a hyper-responsible person and a good guy, according to the words of the captain Shishkarev) are at the most optimal age to work on the court at maximum.
The situation seems to be even better on the right side. Last doubts about it will fall away if we recall the reserve (the left-handed from among young and promising will probably have a chance during the season).
...and plus Kasatkin
And let us finish the review with pivots: the tandem Vyacheslav Kasatkin — Roman Tsarapkin, which made the competitors in the championships of Slovakia and Czech and even European Cups nervous, is restored! And if the hero of a recent Handballfast interview is primarily known as a specialist in defense, the ward of Krasnodar handball is more helping in attack. And he is more than capable of replacing Se Cinlun.
And there is a full set here, at least according to Russian standards. Andrey Korkin and Kirill Kremnev shouldn’t be dismissed, if only injuries could be avoided! However, other CSKA players will happily apply this usual, but always relevant wish to themselves. And not only them…
Photo: HC CSKA press
