Russian Premier League: 2012/13 Team of the Season

Alexander Anyukov - Zenit Saint Petersburg, defender; ever reliable, the right full back has been one of the star men for Zenit this season. One of the few players who very rarely make any mistake of any kind, his solidness in defence and clever runs in behind opposing defenders on the attack have made him the most indispensable player in Saint Petersburg.

Alexander Anyukov

While Zenit may have lost their champions title to Moscow rivals CSKA and gone through many a crisis throughout the course of the season, the marauding right back managed to quietly get on with his business, and despite being in the wrong side of his 30s, his reliability is showing no sign of letting up.

Nicolas Lombaerts - Zenit Saint Petersburg, defender; having gone 6 matches in a row at one point without conceding a goal, it’s no surprise that two Zenit men are present in my defence. And the lanky Belgian has been no less reliable than Anyukov, going on to reinforce his status as one of the best if not the best central defender in the Russian Premier League.

Nicolas Lombaerts

Lombaerts has charisma in abundance and has been a rock at the heart of the Saint Petersburg defence all season long, nullifying the threat of many a dangerous forward.

He may not be quite such a presence in the other half of the field that Anyukov has, but he is no worse at the defensive business, and with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur rumoured to be on their radar, Zenit need to sign him up to a new contract sooner rather than later.

Sergey Ignashevich - CSKA Moscow, defender; already 33, he may be getting on a bit, but with age his game is getting no worse. Generally regarded as the leading central defender hailing from Russia, he has been almost error free in CSKA’s surge to a 11th Russian title.

Sergey Ignashevich

While the Berezustkiy brothers who partner him in defence may not always look like the most gifted of footballers, Ignashevich is technically skilled, and as well as being an excellent defender he also has a powerful shot in his arsenal.

CSKA will one day in the next few years have to find an adequate replacement, but if he can play like he has done this season for a few more years at least, the Army men have nothing to worry about.

Dmitry Kombarov - Spartak Moscow, defender; the better half of the Kombarov double act, he has been one of the bright sparks in a pretty poor season for Spartak.

Dmitry Kombarov

Already having managed to establish himself in the national set up for just over a year now, the 26-year-old is just coming into the prime of his career, and without him, Spartak would have been even lower than 4th place.

And just like Anyukov on the right flank, on the left Kombarov is a real threat in the attacking third with 7 goals and 6 assists to his name this season, and scoring a real contender for goal of the season with an unstoppable free kick against Volga early on in the season.