Former Real Madrid winger and Argentine forward Francisco Abalo has been signed by Kerala Blasters FC to add more width in the forward as well as the midfield set-up to be alive in the league and avoid relegation for the next season.
The club has signed the 27-year-old till the end of the ongoing season. The team management is trying to add pace and intensity by assembling a settled side for the next season.
The Argentine has reached Kerala and has joined the team. The team is struggling to keep up with the pace, and the 27-year-old’s responsibility would be to add fluency in the forward line.
Graduating from the Real Madrid youth team
The 27-year-old has vast experience of playing in different leagues in Europe. The Argentine has gone through youth setups at Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. He played for Real Madrid Castilla, which enabled him to learn through a process in Spanish Football.
While playing for Real Madrid, he managed to get vital experience in a competitive league that has helped in producing some of the finest Footballers. Francisco was a regular in Segunda B Division and was highly praised for his exceptional performances as a winger who boosted the team’s overall performance through offensive play. He represented Cadetes San Martín at the youth level.
Francisco played in 177 matches in La Liga 2, Copa Del Ray, Segunda División B, Nemzeti Bajnokság and for teams like Cartagena, Eibar, Karmiotissa and impressed with some valuable performances, scoring 16 goals and contributing with 19 assists.
Francisco provides durability as the 27-year-old is capable of playing on both sides of the wings due to his offensive play. Francisco is a penetrative option when it comes to his ability to make inroads into the opposition territory, combined with his ability to keep the ball in possession.
Francisco’s speed, awareness and clever movements make him a valuable addition when it comes to his ability to build attacks in a coordinated manner with the midfield, thus making the team’s overall attacking options more vibrant and fluent.
The winger is capable of creating chances with his long crosses from the wings as well as from the centre. His attacking and defensive style of play makes him a threat as the winger is capable of winning the ball from opponents during open play. His ability to create chances through set pieces and score through set pieces makes him an all-around performer due to his anticipation and awareness.
How Francisco’s addition benefit Kerala Blasters FC ?
Whether it is grassroots football, youth level Football, Club level football, or the national side, Spanish Football has over the years, produced top-class performers who were technically supreme and were known for clever link-up play. Spanish Football is renowned for its competitive structure that boasts of a combination of technique and smart link-up.
Francisco gets quickly on top of the ball with his speed and quick reflexes, and his smart ball-sensing ability, combined with his clever anticipation, would add flexibility in this Kerala Blasters unit.
Kerala Blasters have netted only 3 goals in 7 ISL matches in the ongoing season. Kearal Blasters have scored just one goal when it comes to scoring goals through open play, which is quite below par, keeping in mind the team’s performances in the past and counter-attacking play in the previous seasons.
The forward line has been completely unable to score goals, while the midfield hasn’t been consistent enough to build attacks. Both departments have hardly looked threatening when it comes to creating direct chances or generating attacks through link-up play.
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The team’s finishing lacked the punch whenever they tried to penetrate the opposition’s defensive set-up. Francisco’s experience of playing in Spanish Football could be a handful for the team when it comes to his creativity in open play, as well as building attacks from the wings.
His attacking game would be more than a handful as the 27-year-old Argentine can score goals when needed. Francisco’s inclusion could provide the team with a handy goal-scoring option at the front, where he can outclass the opposition with his electric counterattacks and score goals frequently.
Francisco’s main area would be to adjust to Indian conditions quickly, which might be a challenge for the winger in the beginning, but given his experience of playing in Spanish conditions, it is only a matter of time before he gets used to the conditions. Although it could be a major concern for the Argentine in the early few matches.
It would be interesting to see whether Francisco’s addition reenergizes Kerala Blasters with renewed intensity or not. If the Argentine manages to do so, then Kerala Blasters would be the team to look forward to.
