Liza has harder programs than Adelina, Eurosport guys were talking about it at Worlds, and actually throughout the season, about how Adelina's step sequence in the FS was fun and energetic but not very difficult. Also 3t-3t and 3f in the SP is not that difficult of a layout, not when Liza, Julia, and Anna all do 3lz-3t and 3f. In the FS, all the girls do 3lz-3t and 2a-3t(-2t), but Adelina and Julia repeat 3f while Liza and Anna repeat 3lz. All except Liza do 2 combos including the 3 jump combo in the 1st half of the program, but Liza does the 2a-3t and 3 jump combo both in the 2nd half. So Liza has the highest BV of all the ladies, but her spins are also not very good and sometimes only level 3.
Execution wise, Anna and Julia have an edge on Liza (at least in SP) and Adelina (due to easier SP layout and frequent difficulties in FS). Adelina has the highest PCS, but the margin is maybe not that much over a good Tuk or Lip, and if Tuk is just ok, then her PCS can get to be pretty low, which means she could be overtaken in PCS by Julia, and realistically even Anna could likely match her PCS if Liza is not having a great skate and gets like 53 for PCS. Leonova could be a factor but her jumps have been MIA the past season and like Adelina, SP layout is not as difficult compared to some of the others. When she skates well, PCS are quite high, and they are still decent for now when she bombs, but idk how long that will last if she continues to bomb. Korobeynikova also has a shot but I think only if she brings back her difficult content from previous seasons...her PCS is lowish already, lower than Liza, around 50 for the FS when her skating is decent or good (Euros, COR), which is what Pogorilaya usually got in juniors, so that's a disadvantage already and then if she does 3t-3t and 3lo in SP and just one 3f and no 3lz or 3-3 in the FS, there won't really be any way for her to make up the points on others unless she's perfect and they all really bomb. If she does 3f-3t in SP and FS again though and puts 3lz in her FS (getting up to 7 triples with 2a-3t combo), and is actually successful with such jumps in competition, I think her PCS can go up and then technically she will be one of the strongest in the field and have a good chance to challenge for the Olympic team, or at least medal at Nationals. I wonder if Korobeynikova will get COR or if the Fed will give it to Gosviani (or even Agafonova or Biryukova) instead, if Polina K gets it, I think that speaks well of the Fed's willingness to back her.
At their best, Adelina and Liza are the best of the Russian ladies at this point, but I'm not sure either has the most long-term potential at this point, and I will even go as far to say that if they continue to be inconsistent during the coming fall and later seasons, I really can see the Fed paying less attention to them and backing someone else who is performing better in competition, and maybe even name such a skater to the Olympic team over one or both of these girls. Right now, Korobeynikova and Pogorilaya have very, very slim chances to make the Olympic team, but that could change come the fall. But I would say in the situation that say Lipnitskaya and Leonova are skating really well this fall and Sotnikova and Tuktamysheva aren't, then I could definitely see the team being Lipnitskaya and Leonova should the trend continue through the Nationals. Cup of China will be interesting because Sotnikova competes against Korobeynikova and Pogorilaya. What happens if she bombs and Polina and Anna both beat her there?
