Rostov have to play out of their skins to avoid relegation in the  Russian Premier League

Rostov will have a mountain to climb after the winter break to restore pride and, more importantly, avoid impending relegation. This season so far has been nothing short of a disaster for them.

For a club that finished fifth two seasons ago, the last two have been rather disappointing.

The Muzhikis finished ninth last season barely managing to sneak past the 40-point mark. It has been even more catastrophic this season with them struggling 14th in the 16-team division, occupying the relegation play-off spot.

Despite the fact that finishing 13th or 14th still gives the team a play-off against a lower-division team to avoid relegation, this season has been rather sour. History has seen the elimination of Amkar Prem and Anji from top-flight football and these clubs have not recovered since.

Professional football in Russia, apart from the Premier League, is associated with bankruptcies and revenue downturns. Rostov's climb will not be so simple if they are relegated.

Restricted transfer business has propelled them towards relegation

Rostov has had a history of buying rival-club rejects.

Despite securing Champions League group-stage qualification for the 2015/16 campaign and a spot in the Europa League a season later, their strategy of looking inwards has hampered them.

Be it Denis Terentyev from Zenit St. Petersburg or Igor Kalinin from Rubin Kazan, their preference to sign rival-club rejects for low-buyout clauses has its own pitfalls. These players are past their prime when they arrive at Rostov. They earn handsome salaries that put pressure on the club's resources.

Their performances over the last two seasons only seem to underline the ineffectiveness of this sort of transfer strategy.

More ironically, despite struggling in the relegation battle, the club has opted not to sign a player in the winter transfer market. They are hoping for these veteran players to bail them out of this crisis. It is a thought that remains far-sighted as of now. Their existing squad has only been bolstered by the return of some of their loanees - Kirill Bozhenov and Danila Vedernikov.

Improvement in mentality will be key for Rostov

Throughout the season, it seemed that the Muzhikis have resigned themselves from competing for Europe. There was this sense of calm that no matter what happens, they have more than plenty of resources to finish in the top ten. However, tough competition from the newly promoted outfits have obstructed any chances of that. They will have to play out of their skins to escape relegation this season.