Levadia dominant in Estonia

Although they failed to complete an Estonian treble on Sunday, the 2007 season was without doubt a triumph for FC Levadia Tallinn and their coach Tarmo Rüütli.

All-round strength
Levadia claimed the Estonian Cup in May and finished the season eight points clear at the top of the table, but were denied a third trophy on Sunday as they lost 2-1 against JK Trans Narva in the end-of-season Estonian Supercup match. A strong defence, tactical flexibility and an excellent mixture of experience and youth underpinned Levadia's successes this season.

Wise investment
Rüütli's team also had another good European campaign, with defeat against FK Crvena Zvezda on away goals in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League representing no disgrace. Meanwhile president Viktor Levada has invested wisely in facilities and youth development for the future. Levadia opened their own training centre in the summer with Eusébio the guest of honour.

Dual role
Problems may yet lie ahead for Levadia as they seek a third successive title in 2008, with Rüütli set to take up a new dual role managing the Estonia national team in tandem with his club side. To make things tougher, six regular players – including key figures like Konstantin Vassiljev and Artur Kotenko – are leaving the club and forward Indrek Zelinski is considering retirement.

Flora flourish
That could be good news for FC Flora, who went 19 games unbeaten at the end of the season to finish second. Finnish coach Pasi Rautiainen experimented with lineups and tactics early in the season but found a winning formula with 36-year-old Martin Reim pulling the strings in midfield, and youngsters like 19-year-old midfielder Sergei Mošnikov and 20-year-old Finnish winger Juha Hakola impressing.

Coaching confusion
FC TVMK Tallinn finished third but it was a poor season for the 2005 champions, with their coaching situation causing confusion. It was occasionally unclear whether Vjatšeslav Smirnov or Russian 'consultant' Vyacheslav Bulavin was in charge. The club tried to re-hire former coach Sergei Ratnikov from JK Maag Tammeka Tartu in the summer, but only secured his signature in November.

Nõmme return
Last season's runners-up Trans suffered from a shortage of quality players but Supercup success was some consolation for a fourth-placed finish. Meanwhile, Estonian fans can look forward to JK Nõmme Kalju's return to the Meistriliiga after they surprisingly beat FC Kuressaare on away goals in a promotion playoff. Formed in 1922, they played in three pre-war Estonian seasons from 1925-27.