How Kerala Blasters will be impacted by the signing of Adrian Luna

The Uruguayan will represent the Yellow Army till the end of the 2022-23 season.

Last Thursday, Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters surprised all with an announcement that no one expected. The announcement was regarding the signing of midfielder Adrian Luna on a two-year deal.

Luna hence became the club’s first new foreign signing of the ongoing summer. Earlier this year, they had announced their decision to part ways with all of their overseas players from last season. While Jordan Murray will continue in the ISL with Jamshedpur FC, others have gone elsewhere in search of greener pastures.

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As an attacking midfielder, Adrian Luna seems to be Kerala Blasters’ replacement for Facundo Pereyra who enjoyed a decent outing in ISL 2020-21. So, what does Luna’s signing mean to the club and how are they going to benefit from his arrival? Khel Now takes a detailed look.

Career so far

Born on April 12, 1992, Adrian Luna began his football career at the youth academies of Club Atletico Progreso, Montevideo Wanderers and Defensor Sporting in Uruguay. He was eventually promoted to Defensor’s U-19 side and later, their first-team in 2010. LaLiga club Espanyol signed him the following year. From there he went to Gimnastic, CE Sabadell and Club Nacional on loan moves.

Luna returned to Defensor in 2013 and represented them for two seasons before shifting base to Mexico. Stints at Tiburones Rojos and Venados FC followed - and in 2019, he signed for Melbourne City in Australia.

In the past two seasons, the 29-year-old made 51 appearances for the Melbourne-based club across all competitions, scoring eight times along with providing ten assists. Overall, he had played 336 matches so far for all clubs, registering 47 goals and 46 assists.

The 2020-21 season was a memorable one for Adrian Luna, as he played a pivotal role in Melbourne City’s first-ever A-League title triumph. He made 24 appearances for his club during their league campaign and scored thrice along with notching four assists.

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Luna has represented his national team as well, across various age-groups. He was part of the Uruguayan side that played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009 and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011. The midfielder also scored a goal each in both tournaments.

Playing Style

Recent heat-maps of Adrian Luna, found online indicate that he has found it easiest to operate on the right side of the pitch. While he usually plays in an attacking position, he has also been willing to drop deep or track back if needed.

Therefore, we feel that the Uruguayan is not a classic ‘No.10’. 

Luna is not a very quick player, nor does he have a good physical presence. This makes him weak in aerial duels and beating opponents in 1v1 situations. But, he makes up for it with his high work-rate, having shown a good ability to press his opponents for the full 90 minutes while at Melbourne City.

Only an average dribbler of the ball, he seldom depends on himself alone in build-up play. He favours ball progression by playing short, quick passes - while also occasionally attempting long diagonal balls, in case he has dropped deep to defend.

Classic No.10 players seldom take part in defensive duties. He pressurizes his opponents and often wins possession, as evident from his performances for his former teams. His strong foot is the right, but that doesn’t mean his left is weak.

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Another important aspect is his shots, which he takes aplenty from distance. While they are mostly on-target, they are also usually tame with less pace and power. This is a key area where he needs to improve. Most of Luna’s goals are scored from inside the opponents’ box, where he sneakily places himself, thanks to his good positioning and off-the-ball movement.

That said, Melbourne City benefited a lot more from his creativity than his goals, especially in the 2020-21 season. One can expect a similar role assigned to him at KBFC.

Possibilities at Kerala Blasters

Given his abilities on the right side of the pitch and passing vision, one can expect the formation of a good partnership between Adrian Luna and Rahul KP.

Rahul was the go-to right winger for Kerala Blasters last season. If he continues in the same role in the upcoming league campaign, he would get good service from the 29-year-old.

As mentioned already, Luna is not your traditional ‘No.10’ - he is more an evolved ‘No.8’ according to us. His work-rate, creativity, off-the-ball activity and ball-winning skills are ones to watch out for. Those can help him do well at the club in ISL 2021-22.

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Comparison with current, former ISL players

Ever since KBFC announced Luna’s arrival, there have been comparisons between him and Facundo Pereyra. We feel that he is a possible upgrade on the Argentine, especially in the case of defensive attributes.

He is more defensively active than Pereyra, while the former KBFC star does seem to have better numbers when it comes to attack.

In terms of stats from the 2020-21 season, Adrian Luna is very similar to another Uruguayan in NorthEast United’s Federico Gallego. However in that case, one needs to consider that the latter played in the ISL, whereas the former has been playing in a more advanced league (A-League).

Conclusion

As of now, all signs point towards the inference that the Yellow Army have signed a solid player in Adrian Luna. However, these inferences will remain on-paper only till the forthcoming Indian Super League season, where adaptability will be another key factor.

It’s safe to say that nobody knows for sure as to whether or not Luna will settle well into his new surroundings. Therefore, the jury is still out on whether he will make a good impact for the club. What fans can do right now, is to simply hope for the best.

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