File photo: Ashley Westwood recorded five wins, one draw and one loss with Kerala Blasters in the ISL 2025-26 season. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Kerala Blasters was staring at relegation midway through the ISL 2025-26 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 hopes of a revival.

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

The Englishman Ashley Westwood was appointed as interim coach and tasked with salvaging 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.

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

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

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Under Catala, the team struggled to score in open play. The Spanish coach didn’t have quality players to implement his possession-based playing style. Mispasses, often by Indian players, surrendered the advantage and lack of creativity in midfield saw Blasters fail to take a single target at the rival goal in most of the matches.

However, after Ashley Westwood took over, KBFC managed to increase its open play efficiency. The passing errors came down drastically, and the team played more direct football, showing mobility and penetration with improvised play in the flanks. Kevin Yoke was the heart of the Blasters’ attack with his penetrative runs on 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 as per the requirement. The KBFC’s defence consistently kept its shape, limiting the attacking options of its rivals.

And the switch from defence to attack was quick and often caught the rival defence napping. Westwood placed the Indian players in the right positions and managed to bring the best out of them.

Freddy Lallawmawma, Vibin Mohanan and R.V. Hormipam prospered under Westwood. Moreover, the team displayed a rare fighting spirit and fought till the end. With things falling in place, Westwood turned a sinking ship into a cruiser, though it came late.

Published on May 21, 2026