The Copa Libertadores restarts this week with the first legs of the quarter-final ties, and after holding off interest in their star player Luan, Gremio have a good chance of going all the way.
There were a number of changes announced prior to the commencement of this year’s tournament, with the biggest one being that it would be played over the course of the full calendar year. The Libertadores had previously packed the same number of matches as the Champions League into the first half of the year and a change was overdue.
The new annual calendar now makes it realistic for a team to maintain a domestic challenge alongside their continental campaign. It also ensures that the winner of the competition goes straight into the World Club Cup in good form and with their Libertadores-winning squad intact. But it does make teams vulnerable to losing key players midway through, as the European transfer window now opens before the round of 16 and closes prior to the quarter-finals.
River Plate have suffered most this year. The Argentinian giants, winners of the competition in 2015, may have strengthened their overall squad but the departure of both of their first-choice forwards will be keenly felt. Sebastian Driussi joined Zenit Saint-Petersburg in July, and Bayer Leverkusen then met the release clause of Lucas Alario on transfer deadline day, although River continue to dispute the legality of that move.
Gremio weren’t immune, as forward Pedro Rocha left for Spartak Moscow in a €12 million deal. But keeping Luan, at least until the end of the year, was always their priority and it was one that they achieved despite interest from Spartak and the Italian side Sampdoria.
Luan is a rare forward in Brazilian football in that his importance derives from his ability to improve the collective. Gremio play a possession-based game, and Luan is the connecting point in the final third - the player around whom everyone rotates. His clever movement helps him find space in which to combine with teammates and link things together in attack.
The 24-year-old has provided 10 goals and seven assists in 22 appearances in league and Copa Libertadores action this season, but his importance to the team goes way beyond that. He is so integral to Gremio’s play that it would have been very difficult for them to find a replacement at short notice.
Having kept him, Renato Gaucho’s side could now be considered the favourites to lift the trophy. They progressed to the last eight by topping their group, before seeing off Godoy Cruz of Argentina in the round of 16. In Brazil, their deficit to league leaders Corinthians remains at seven points following a 0-1 defeat to Vasco da Gama on Saturday, so it is reasonable to think that the Libertadores will now be their primary focus.
Luan missed that match through injury but is in line to return on Wednesday for the first leg of Gremio’s quarter-final against compatriots Botafogo. They could yet face another Brazilian side in the last four if both they and Santos progress. It is not an easy route to the final, but it is one that Gremio, with their strong collective game, potent attack and decent defence, are capable of traversing.
And if Luan does end up leaving in January, guiding Gremio to their first Copa Libertadores trophy in over 20 years would be a pretty good way to sign off.