Season review: Norway

Rosenborg BK began 2010 as favourites to retain the Norwegian title – and they did not let anyone down. In fact, the only domestic game the Trondheim side lost was to minnows Follo FK in the Norwegian Cup semi-final, though Strømsgodset IF were to lift the trophy.

Champions: Rosenborg BK
Erik Hamrén took over as Rosenborg coach in the summer of 2008 and they returned to the unstoppable force that won 13 straight titles up to 2004. They took the championship with just one league defeat last year and this time went one better, not losing at all to secure a 22nd crown. They did not miss a beat when Hamrén departed for the Swedish national team in the summer as the mastermind of their previous glories, Nils Arne Eggen, proved a more-than-able caretaker, now giving way to Jan Jönsson. Martin Andresen's Vålerenga Fotball were Rosenborg's nearest challengers, finishing seven points behind with some fine football.

Cup final: Follo FK 0-2 Strømsgodset IF
Follo ended up relegated from the second-tier first division but that was in stark contrast to their cup form, reaching their first final with a sensational 3-2 extra-time defeat of Rosenborg, who had led twice. However, the final proved a step too far as headed goals by Ola Kamara and Glenn Andersen won Strømsgodset the cup for the fifth time. Coach Ronny Deila has a knack for developing young talent, and it is no wonder that foreign scouts have a special interest in the Strømsgodset side.

European places*
Rosenborg BK - UEFA Champions League qualifying
Vålerenga Fotball - UEFA Europa League qualifying
Tromsø IL - UEFA Europa League qualifying
Strømsgodset IF - UEFA Europa League qualifying

* Exact rounds and entry subject to final confirmation from UEFA

Surprise package: Tromsø IL
Per-Mathias Høgmo has been a success since he returned to Tromsø as coach. His side even challenged Rosenborg for first place during spring and early summer, but the sale of goalkeeper Sead Ramovic to Sivasspor was one of the factors that derailed their title bid. Høgmo has created a steady side built around good organisation, but also with some attacking flair.

Player of the year: Brede Hangeland (Fulham FC)
The tall defender has had another good year for club and country. Norway's national team have made a great start to the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers, with Hangeland the rock in central defence. For Fulham, he was central in their run to the final of the UEFA Europa League last season and he received both the official Golden Ball from the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) and the accolade of players' player of the year. "It is a great honour to receive this prize," Hangeland said. "I would like to share it with my team-mates. I feel like I am playing for the best club in the world."

One to watch: Serigne Modou Kara Mbodji (Tromsø IL)
The 21-year-old defensive midfielder was brought to Tromsø from the Senegalese football academy Diambars last winter, and proved to be an instant success. His powerful performances in the centre of midfield have made bigger clubs sit up and take notice, but for now the 1.92m-tall Kara is content to do his best for Tromsø.

Leading scorer: Baye Djiby Fall (Molde FK) 16
The Molde striker was no doubt helped in his quest for the top scorer's title by Vålerenga's sale of Mohammed Abdellaoue to Hannover 96 in August. Abdellaoue had 15 goals when he left, and Fall scored his 16th goal in the last round, having helped keep Molde up. Next season he could be scoring his goals higher up the table as optimism is high at Molde after the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as coach, and the promise of transfer funds.

Relegated: Kongsvinger IL, Hønefoss BK, Sandefjord Fotball

Promoted: Sogndal IL, Sarpsborg 08 FF, Fredrikstad FK

Number: 6
The number of games Molde went unbeaten after former Manchester City FC striker Uwe Rösler took over as coach on 31 August. The former Lillestrøm SK and Viking FK coach steered Molde to safety, taking 14 out of 18 possible points.

Quote: "To win the league year after year is much more difficult than winning just the one season. I hope this is the start of a long run of championships."
Eggen hopes Rosenborg can enter another era of domination after securing the title again.

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Spartak all set for 'match of the season' against OM

With his FC Spartak Moskva team locked on six points with Olympique de Marseille, coach Valeri Karpin described the Group F visit of the French champions as "our match of the season", knowing as he does that a victory would confirm their place in the knockout stage. Any win would suffice for the hosts while an OM triumph other than 1-0 would be enough for Didier Deschamps' men to advance alongside Group F leaders Chelsea FC.

Valeri Karpin, Spartak coach
Because the Russian season is almost finished, this is our match of the season. Though a draw would be a positive result, we wouldn't like to go into our last game against Žilina with progress not confirmed. We will not play for a draw. As far as our last fixture in the group is concerned, Žilina are beatable but there are millions of examples in football where matches against an underdog produce surprising results. So, the sooner we reach our goal the better.

We have a lot of injured players and to rotate our squad would be very difficult, especially after the match against CSKA [a 3-1 loss on Saturday]. Marseille are stronger now. When we played them two months ago it was the beginning of the season, but now they've played enough matches to find their form and rhythm. I can't say that we feel more confident just because of the result in the first match [a 1-0 win].

Didier Deschamps, Marseille coach
We know if we win we advance – that's why we will play to win, although we know it won't be easy. I wouldn't call this a 'cup match' because all the different results mean clubs can finish in various positions. Besides, we will not play extra time and there will be no penalty shoot-out. Circumstances have determined this match as a decisive one. We will be happy with any result that means we advance.

I saw some signs of tiredness in the Spartak players in their last match in the Russian league. On the other hand, however important that game was, the match against Marseille is more important for them. I cannot say that I am 100% sure we will succeed but even a narrow win will mean we advance. We have to score and to play well in defence. If Spartak score, we have to score more than them. We are ready for that.

Team news
• Spartak
Alex, Ari and Martin Stranzl (all thigh) are doubts. Sergei Parshivlyuk was ruled out for the rest of the group stage after suffering knee ligament damage in a 0-0 draw at FC Sibir Novosibirsk on 23 October, while Andrei Ivanov misses the game due to a thigh problem.

• Marseille
Édouard Cissé has recovered from a hamstring injury but Benoît Cheyrou has been sidelined with a groin injury.

Weekend results
20/11/10 PFC CSKA Moskva 3-1 Spartak
(Honda 57, Doumbia 66, Vágner Love 90+3; Ibson 17)
Defeat in Russian football's most prestigious derby ended Spartak's 10-game unbeaten run in the league. Spartak were leading 1-0 when CSKA lost Deividas Šemberas to a second yellow card after 51 minutes but still failed to secure victory. The player count was levelled when Nicolas Pareja received his marching orders in the final minute.

20/11/10 Toulouse FC 0-1 Marseille
(André Ayew 88)
Deschamps opted to start with André Ayew and Mathieu Valbuena on the bench following their midweek international exertions. Ayew's first league goal since mid-September ultimately earned OM victory, Taye Taiwo having hit the post from the spot ten minutes into the second half.

Did you know?
The rival coaches were both involved when France and Russia were drawn in the same UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying group. The away team won both games 3-2, Karpin scoring the winner in Paris on 5 June 1999. Deschamps and Karpin were in the starting lineups for those matches, Russia's home fixture taking place in Moscow on 10 October 1998.

See the match background for more information.

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Season review: Armenia

A tenth successive Armenian Premier League title completed FC Pyunik's domestic treble but FC Banants chased them to the wire. Bottom side FC Shirak, meanwhile, were spared relegation as the Football Federation of Armenia (HFF) decided to expand the league for 2011.

Champions: FC Pyunik
Pyunik won their tenth straight championship yet Vardan Minasyan's side were forced to play until the final while by a competitive Banants team, eventually taking the title by a single point on the last day of term. "Only true champions win their final four matches in a row, when it matters most," said Minasyan, who has been involved in all ten successes – four as player and six as coach.

Cup final: FC Pyunik 4-0 FC Banants
Banants ran Pyunik close in the league but there was no contest when the clubs played for the Armenian Independence Cup in Yerevan on 10 May. Pyunik led 3-0 before the interval, with Gevorg Ghazaryan scoring his second of the game after the break.

European places*
FC Pyunik – UEFA Champions League qualifying
FC Banants – UEFA Europa League qualifying
Ulisses FC – UEFA Europa League qualifying

*Exact rounds and entry subject to final confirmation from UEFA. The Armenian Cup winners or runners-up next spring will also play in UEFA Europa League qualifying

Surprise package: FC Impuls
A very young side – average age 23 – Impuls had been earmarked for relegation before the campaign began. Yet under Armen Gyulbudaghyants, Armenia's first UEFA Pro licence-holding coach, they took points off Pyunik in three of their four meetings, beat bronze medalists Ulisses FC twice, and finished a respectable fifth in the table.

Player of the year*: Karlen Mkrtchyan (FC Pyunik)
Defensive midfielder Mkrtchyan's hard work and commitment were pivotal to Pyunik and also gave heart to the national team. His composure and fighting spirit came to the fore in all of Pyunik's toughest tests, with his last-gasp solo effort against Banants on 31 October arguably the goal that won his side the title.

*UEFA.com's choice; official selection yet to be made

One to watch: Valter Poghosyan (FC Banants)
Banants coach Stevica Kuzmanoski values experience but made an exception for attacking midfielder Poghosyan. The 18-year-old's increasingly confident displays, fine passing and scoring exploits for Banants earned him international caps at Under-19, U21 and then senior level this year.

Leading scorers: Gevorg Ghazaryan & Marcos Pizzelli (both FC Pyunik) 16

Promoted: FC Ararat Yerevan

Number: 10
Pyunik No10 Ghazaryan shared the golden boot with team-mate Pizzelli and also netted twice in the cup final success against Banants.

Quote: "At the start of the season I said I would swap the title for a place in the next round of the UEFA Champions League, but this became a very special championship for me. We relied on just 12 or 13 players for the whole season, and they improved enormously and played their part in the national team too. I am happy Pyunik have a winning mentality."
Pyunik coach Vardan Minasyan

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Season review: Kazakhstan

Always the bridesmaid, finally the bride: FC Tobol Kostanay clinched their first title in Kazakhstan in 2010, with FC Lokomotiv Astana taking the Kazakh Cup in their second full season since being formed from the merger of FC Astana and FC Megasport.

Champions: FC Tobol Kostanay
Runners-up four times in the seven preceding seasons, Tobol finally shook off the mocking nickname 'Forever Second' following the arrival of Russian coach Ravil Sabitov – finishing a point clear of 2009 champions FC Aktobe. The 2007 Kazakh Cup winners showed a taste for drama as they let a ten-point lead evaporate in the autumn, but held on despite a 5-2 home loss to Aktobe with three Premier Liga rounds to go.

Cup final: FC Lokomotiv Astana 1-0 FC Shakhter Karagandy
The visitors brought a mighty 4,400-strong travelling support to Astana for the final, yet did not bring any luck. Shakhter hit the crossbar through Andrey Finonchenko and Aleksandr Kislitsyn early on, but never recovered from conceding a 35th-minute goal to defender Mikhail Rozhkov from a corner. Moscow-born Rozhkov ended the year as a fully fledged Kazakh international.

European places*
FC Tobol Kostanay – UEFA Champions League qualifying
FC Aktobe – UEFA Europa League qualifying
FC Irtysh Pavlodar – UEFA Europa League qualifying
FC Lokomotiv Astana – UEFA Europa League qualifying

*Exact rounds and entry subject to final confirmation from UEFA

Player of the Year*: Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev (FC Tobol Kostanay)
Tobol's 29-year-old captain has been a club regular for a decade, but finally got the medal he had been longing for this time around. The attacking midfielder scored 15 times – including his side's first and last goals of the campaign, the latter direct from a corner. It was overdue reward for his sterling efforts and leadership.

* UEFA.com's choice; official selection yet to be made

One to watch: Dmitri Shomko (FC Irtysh Pavlodar)
The 20-year-old defender made his first-team breakthrough in 2009 before coming on leaps and bounds in his second season, playing in 30 Premier Liga games as Irtysh finished third. Kazakhstan's former coach Bernd Storck also gave the youngster a first international call-up, though he is still to make his debut.

Surprise package: FC Irtysh Pavlodar
Five-time Kazakh champions Irtysh had gone from title challengers to relegation strugglers in recent campaigns, coming ninth in 2009, yet the appointment of 42-year-old coach Talgat Baysufinov seemed to re-energise them. Irtysh vied with Tobol for top spot at the start of the season, and even if that momentum slowed they did enough for a bronze medal.

Leading scorer: Ulugbek Bakaev (FC Tobol Kostanay) 16

Relegated: FC Akzhayik Uralsk, FC Okzhetpes Kokshetau

Promoted: FC Vostok, FC Kaysar Kyzylorda

Number: 1,000
Irtysh became the first team to score 1,000 Kazakh league goals having participated in all 19 post-independence seasons. The 21-year-old Vitali Goloveshkin got the landmark goal with seven minutes to go in their final game of the campaign at Lokomotiv Astana.

Quote: "We played well in spring and summer, then went into hibernation until Aktobe woke us up. Talking to my players about that game, I could sense they were furious. It was a bitter and painful experience but very useful. We then took nine points from the last three games to clinch the title, so I would like to thank the Aktobe players and coaches. Ultimately they helped us."
Coach Sabitov explains how a 5-2 defeat by Aktobe pushed Tobol on towards the title.

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