Ashley Westwood expresses confidence in the squad ahead of the match against SC Delhi

Ashley Westwood joined as a replacement for David Catala

Kerala Blasters FC will play Sporting Club Delhi on the 5th of April 2026, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi, as the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 season returns to the capital city.

Kerala Blasters FC, under the reign of their new head coach, Ashley Westwood, would be looking forward to having a positive outcome in the match to move as far as possible from the relegation battle, while SC Delhi, after halting two strong sides, Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC to a stalemate, would be eying on building upon the momentum and fetching all three points.

Ahead of the away clash, Ashley Westwood addressed the media.

Here is a detailed report of the pre-match press conference for the match between Kerala Blasters FC and Sporting Delhi FC.

How challenging is it to manage Blasters now?

Ashley Westwood joined Kerala Blasters FC as their coach after the club parted ways with their former manager, David Catala, after some poor performance in the Indian Super League 2025-26 season, managing to bag only one out of the possible eighteen points.

When asked about how big a challenge it would be to lead a side that is currently in the struggling phase, Ashley replied:

“Obviously, the club is in a little bit of a sticky situation. But only six games have been played, we have seven games remaining. For me, it doesn’t matter. I don’t see that as a massive challenge; I see them as football match. We have seven of those. I can coach, and hopefully, we can have improved performances.”

“So, just coming in with a blank canvas, a fresh start, and just seeing if we can improve Indian football, and hopefully we can. I have done it in the past, and no reason why we cannot do it again.”

About the responsibility of the young players

“No, I feel that of course the players have left the club, because that is the situation that we are in, with the league not starting, is gonna start, is not gonna start, no revenue from the TV rights, so of course, people have to try and organise the finances. But at the end of the day, that’s presented some opportunity for the young players, who would not have got the chance if young players were not here.”

“For me, there is no pressure upon them. We have got a plan, a structure, from me I am hoping that they improve every single day. I’ve worked with young Indian footballers before and improved them into the national team. So there is no reason why we cannot do this again. As long as we work hard, we listen, I’m sure we will see an improved Kerala Blasters FC”

Initial measures to step out of relegation

“Yeah, I think, initially the morale is a little low. We are trying to instill that. We need to bring a feel-good energy, bring some nice training sessions that the boys can enjoy and a clear game play where we can play with the ball and also play without the ball. So just some messages, some simple messages where we can enjoy and move forward together and make them relaxed.”

“Let football take care of itself, let’s get some spirit, some togetherness and improved performances. I am not asking them to win games, of course, we want to win. We are gonna enjoy ourselves and start feeling good about football”

Primary evaluation of the squad

“To be honest, quite surprised. After two or three training session, was excited. We have some good players and some good talent, whether foreign or local. I am surprised, with the players we have, why we are in the position we are. I feel that we can get better and higher in the table. Just comes back to enjoying football and feeling good about yourself”

“Of course, a team that has not won in six games, only scored one, no much goals from open play, no clean sheets, There has been a problem in this, whether be the tactics or game plan, game management. The initial thing is, lets go and enjoy the game and work hard , because football has a habit of taking care of it’s results as long as you are working hard and get back to the basics.”

Thoughts on SC Delhi

“A big side, very physical side, they have some good players and a good blend. Obviously, they are in a better position than us as they had a longer pre-season, a bit more time together. We know that their coach is a previous coach from here and will be desperate to get a result, as we all are in football anyway.”

“We need to be up for it, we need to be focused, and we need to transfer the information I have given to them on the pitch. I am happy with the team currently. We have to respect Delhi, but we are not going there with fear, we are going there to play football and enjoy ourselves”

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