Since Kerala Blasters’ best finish in the Indian Super League (ISL) – a loss in the final on penalties – two years ago, forwards, defenders and even its trusted gaffer Ivan Vukomanovic have become history.
Adrian Nicolas Luna, among several changes at the club, has remained a constant. A harbinger of hope from Uruguay, Luna has found a home in God’s own country.
And after three seasons, 15 goals and 20 assists, the Uruguayan has one wish for the club and its fans: win a maiden trophy for the club.
“I think Pep Guardiola once said in an interview that everything that we do is to be loved. I feel the love of the people and I love the club and the fans. It’s mutual which is very important for a player to feel like you are at the right place, at your home,” Luna said in a select media interaction on Monday.
“Now, it’s my fourth season with Kerala Blasters and it’s amazing. The only way we, as a team, can pay them back, is to give everything on the pitch and win a trophy for them,” he said.
The Blasters have reached the Championship final three times – the joint-most, with four other clubs doing so (Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC and ATK, formerly called Atletico de Kolkata, being the other four), but it is the only club to have not won the trophy even once.
Luna arrived in India in 2021 and has played 60 times for the Blasters – a record for a foreigner with the club. It also happens to be his best spell at any club, in terms of goal contributions (35), in his 14-year-long senior career.
“For the club and for myself, it is very important because this club has been waiting for 11 years for a trophy. It means a lot that we take that backpack off our shoulders,” Luna added.
What’s past is past
The Blasters have made some aggressive changes in the dugout this season, to spark a new future, without brooding too much on the past.
Among the starting XI from Blasters’ at their last ISL final, only four remain with the current squad – Sandeep Singh, Hormipam Ruivah, Rahul KP and Luna – and their then-head coach Vukomanovic has been replaced by Swede Mikael Stahre.
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“Some principles are the same but the general idea of football of Ivan and Mikael are different. When you come in as a new coach, you need to work a lot in the tactical aspect and he has been doing that,” Luna said.
The club also secured the signature of Noah Sadaoui – a talisman for FC Goa last season, with 16 goal contributions (11 goals, five assists) – to replace East Bengal-bound Dimitrios Diamantakos, who was the Golden Boot winner in the ISL last season.
And the effect has been instant.
The Blasters have sailed into quarterfinals with some stunning goal-fests at the Durand Cup 2024, with the team scoring 16 goals in three matches, including an 8-0 rout over Mumbai City reserves, the join-biggest-ever win in the history of the 136-year-old tournament.
Sadaoui himself sits on top of the Golden Boot race and Luna continues to be a perennial architect of attacks, with two assists in three matches so far.
Noah Sadaoui sits on top of the Golden Boot race in Durand Cup 2024 and Adrian Luna continues to be a perennial architect of attacks, with two assists in three matches so far. | Photo Credit: Durand Cup
“With the new coach, we have some (fresh) principles which you can see already. We press high, we want to recover the ball high on the pitch, be vertical and score. But (at the same time), one has to manage it well because they cannot press for 90 minutes,” Luna added.
But, it also needs to be noted that Blasters’ huge wins have come against reserve sides and their real test would come eventually in the ISL, starting September 13.
“So far, I like the team but in some games, we do not recognise such moments and we are attacking all the time and playing vertically, which is difficult to (keep doing) for 90 minutes,” Luna said.
Luna, who became the club’s captain in May last year, suffered an injury in December 2023, ruling him out of the season.
His absence put a major dent on Blasters as the club, which had won five out of its first nine games, lost 10 of its next 20 matches, failing to reach the semifinals of both the Kalinga Super Cup and the ISL Championship.
This time around, the 32-year-old’s primary aim is to avert such calamities.
“First of all, I want to play all season. Secondly, the goal for me and my team is to win a trophy. And, thirdly, to play good and attacking football, to entertain the people in the stadium, and have fun on the pitch,” Luna said.
Ahead of the ISL 2024-25 season, Durand Cup 2024 may just be Luna’s moment to give the club the silver lining it has been yearning for so far.
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