Analysing Mikael Stahre’s progressive curve while bolstering Kerala Blasters attack in Adrian Luna's absence

The Tuskers’ attack is primed to get back to its best with Luna returning from injury.

Adrian Luna has become the heartbeat of Kerala Blasters FC since joining in the 2021-22 season of Indian Super League (ISL), instantly rejuvenating a struggling side and guiding them to the ISL final in his first year. He has been the midfield engine for the club in recent seasons, opening up the opposition defence with his visionary passing.

The Uruguayan’s presence in midfield has been essential to the team’s success, providing stability, creativity, and relentless energy. Meanwhile, his absence due to injury at one point resulted in a significant dip in the side’s attacking performance, crucially affecting their league standings. The Tuskers, under their beloved former manager Ivan Vukomanovic, were at one point contending for the top spot last season, but Luna’s injury took a heavy toll on their title challenge.

With such an impactful player in his arsenal, the recently appointed head coach of Kerala Blasters, Mikael Stahre, comfortably relied on Luna in the heart of his side’s midfield. He deployed his midfield general in every game during the Durand Cup fixtures leading up to the season and successfully developed an attacking formula that took advantage of Luna’s creativity in the final third. However, to the manager’s surprise, the 32-year-old midfielder was sidelined due to a knock he picked up in training, right ahead of the season kick-off.

Tactical reforms and internal solutions

Mikael Stahre’s pursuit of a tactical solution to guide his team without the influential Luna, became one of the most highly anticipated challenges within the Indian football community. It was a captivating story of strategy and adaptability, as fans and critics eagerly looked upon how the manager would adjust his approach and fill the void left by such a pivotal player.

Mikael Stahre’s ineffective Sadaoui experiment and a home defeat

In the opening fixture against Punjab FC, the Swedish tactician experimented with the winger Noah Sadoui, deployed in the middle of the park. However, this approach didn’t bear fruit, as it limited his space to dribble past opponents and completely eliminated his explosive runs and ball-carrying ability along the flanks. They ended up losing the game 2-1 at home.

Danish steps up in a new role to secure victory

In the second game against East Bengal FC, Stahre certainly had the pressure from the fans for the first home win. He shifted Noah Sadaoui back to the flanks and was seeking stability and creativity in the middle.

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Danish Farooq, a trusted box-to-box midfielder for relentless pressing in the Blasters dressing room, was chosen to step in for Luna as the central attacking midfielder. Thanks to goals from Sadaoui and Kwame Peprah, the Blasters secured a 2-1 victory in the closing stages of the match.

Mikael Stahre was impressed with Danish’s efforts in the midfield, despite him playing out of position. While Danish was effective in the pressing game, he struggled on the creative front. The midfielder tried his best to split the defence open, but his passes often fell short of accuracy.

The Swedish tactician accordingly stressed Luna’s absence, mentioning in his press conference, “Honestly, we are missing Adrian Luna – someone who can play passes into the final third, keep the ball, assist, shoot and score. He is one of the best players in the league and his unavailability is one of the major reasons for our struggle.”

The ‘Raumdeuter’ experiment

The next game was an away fixture against NorthEast United. The manager was happy with the stability, but the team was still lacking creativity up front. Stahre came up with an effective plan to enhance the supply to the final third.

The Blasters’ setup was already adapted to a midfield overload, with wing-backs inverting and occupying the half-spaces. He took advantage of this by playing Danish up front as an extra presence in the box, emphasizing his effective headers as well.

The Tuskers had Vibin Mohanan in the middle to play line-breaking passes into the final third, and he was relieved of most of his defensive duties to focus on offensive ball progression. Danish was instructed to roam around the box as a ‘Raumdeuter’ alongside Jesus Jimenez, and he impressed in his new role.

He helped to draw defenders away from him to create space for his teammates. He often became the lone outlet in the box while Jimenez dropped back or drifted wide to link up with Sadaoui, frequently leading to one-on-one chances between him and the goalkeeper.

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Kerala Blasters find their rhythm ahead of Adrian Luna’s return

Stahre’s tactical tweaks evidently helped the Blasters gain control around the opposition box, and this was further proven in the last match against Odisha FC. Despite conceding goals due to individual errors, the team made significant progress in their offensive play.

The tactician has certainly succeeded in developing an identity in his team’s style of play and is moving in the right direction. Now that Adrian Luna is returning to full fitness after the international break, the Blasters’ attack is set to flourish with the diverse array of passes in his repertoire, relieving most of the concerns for Mikael Stahre.

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