How Ashley Westwood turned around Kerala Blasters’ ISL season

Kerala Blasters were staring at relegation midway through the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season with just one point from six matches.

KBFC had its worst start in history and coach David Catala was under fire. A 1-1 draw against East Bengal in an away match gave faint hope of a revival.

However, KBFC lost 1–3 at home to Punjab FC and Catala was forced to leave his position by mutual agreement with the club.

Englishman Ashley Westwood was appointed as interim coach and was tasked with saving the disappointing season. However, the Blasters’ first match under Westwood ended in a 0-2 defeat against Delhi SC. The turnaround came in the next away match against Bengaluru FC.

After conceding an own goal, KBFC came back to stun Bengaluru FC 2-1 with goals from Victor Bertomeu and Francisco Feuillasser.

The win over Bengaluru was followed by a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United at home. Then followed the series of four consecutive wins, which lifted KBFC out of the relegation zone and into eighth position in the points table.

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Under Catala, the team struggled to score in open play. The Spanish coach did not have quality players who could implement his possession-based playing style. Mispasses, often by Indian players, gave away the advantage and lack of creativity in midfield, meaning Blasters failed to register a single target on the rival goal in most matches.

However, after Ashley Westwood took over, KBFC managed to increase the efficiency of open play. Passing errors dropped dramatically and the team played more direct football, showing mobility and penetration with improvised play on the flanks. Kevin Yoke was the heart of the Blasters’ attack with his penetrating runs down the right flank. The arrival of Karim Benrife Feuillasser and Fallou Ndiaye during Westwood’s tenure increased the quality.

Westwood was tactically flexible and changed formations according to requirements. KBFC’s defense consistently maintained its shape, limiting its rivals’ attacking options.

And the transition from defense to attack was quick and often left the rival defense taking a nap. Westwood placed the Indian players in the right positions and managed to get the best out of them.

Freddy Lallawmawma, Vibin Mohanan and RV Hormipam flourished under Westwood. In addition, the team showed a rare fighting spirit and fought until the end. When everything fell into place, Westwood turned a sinking ship into a cruiser, although it came late.

Published on May 21, 2026