Now or never in Kochi: What Westwood’s Kerala Blasters must fix against Mumbai City FC

The Blasters will play the Islanders on October 25.

Three points from two games for Kerala Blasters sounds fine. However, the 4-1 loss in Guwahati against NorthEast United says otherwise, and Kochi will not be patient.

The first home night, Sunday 25 October at 7:30 PM, is where Kerala Blasters show whether the new Westwood era has an identity or only a result.

As the Blasters gear up for their first ISL 2026-27 home game, let us take a look at what they must aim to improve against Mumbai City FC.

The Autopsy: A back five that wasn’t defending

The scoreline flatters nobody, but the shape of the defeat matters more than the number. Westwood went with a five-man defence, seemingly wary of NorthEast’s threat through Jithin MS and Ajaraie, and it still failed to contain the hosts, whose pressing repeatedly unsettled the midfield and exposed gaps at the back.

That is the uncomfortable truth. Five defenders are supposed to buy you security, but this back line was cut open by a single long ball.

Eneko Satrustegui’s pass found Ajaraie through on goal, and he rounded Arsh Anwer and finished in the 15th minute. A careless Sumit Sharma pass let Moyano score just before half-time. A 1-0 deficit became 2-0 at the worst possible moment. Ajaraie’s second followed a poor clearance by Korou.

The flanks lost their duels. Jithin repeatedly got past Aiban, and debutant Amey Ranawade struggled against the counters before being replaced at the break.

The attack wasn’t much better. Kerala managed only four shots on target all game, and Momo Yansané’s second-half strike was the lone return from 12 attempts against NorthEast’s 19. The problem was the distance between the lines. Midfield was stretched, the defenders were isolated, and the front line was starved.

Tactical fixes: Simplify, don’t reinvent

Westwood’s instinct to change the shape will be tempting. It’s also risky. He has said the squad includes five new foreigners and eight or nine new Indians, so another structural overhaul could produce a second kind of chaos. The better fix is to tighten distances within a system the players have now played in.

Go back to the opener’s logic. Aiban stepping into midfield worked because it gave the Blasters an extra passing angle against the press. Against a Mumbai side that wants the ball, that extra body between the lines stops the midfield from being isolated.

Don’t sit deep, and don’t play a high line without cover. Satrustegui’s pass shows what a stretched line costs. A compact mid-block with centre-backs ready for the ball behind them is the sensible middle ground.

Set pressing triggers. Press when a Mumbai full-back receives the ball on the touchline or when a pass goes backwards. Don’t chase the keeper and centre-backs. Mumbai are good at inviting that press and playing through it.

Simplify risk in the back line. Clearing under pressure is fine. Dribbling out of danger is not. The first and fourth goals came from exactly those moments.

Two games is a small sample, and being 2-0 down at the break after a stoppage-time gift distorts the picture. Fair. But the collapse after Yansane’s goal suggests the problem goes beyond game state.

The mental reset: Use the Manjappada, don’t be crushed by it

Westwood’s post-match tone was candid. He said Kerala deserved to lose on the first-half performance, and he credited the reaction after the break. That’s a healthy base, because the second-half response showed this isn’t a collapsed group.

The risk in Kochi is the opposite of Guwahati. A loud stadium can make a nervous team rush, and a rushed team gives away the same transitions.

The first 15 minutes will decide it. If Kerala settle, win their duels and make two or three early safe passes, the Manjappada lifts them. If they chase the game from the first whistle, the noise turns into pressure. Westwood needs to tell his players to let the crowd carry the second ball, not the first pass.

His own framing helps. He has said he’d be happy with seven or eight points from the first four games. That target is only reachable if tomorrow ends in three points.

Key players and personnel

Midfield is the whole game. Nebojsa Kosovic and Adrián Luna are key to controlling possession. Kosovic needs to hold the line in front of the centre-backs so Luna can play higher without leaving the back five exposed.

Pace on the flanks. Korou Singh and Mohammed Sanan are Kerala’s best route to stretching Mumbai, whose full-backs push high. Whoever starts wide should be told to attack the channel early.

Yansané needs support. He’s been the lone source of goals, and he can’t do it alone. The attacking midfield and wingers must arrive in the box behind him. This is where Andre Green could make a difference, either starting or as an impact option.

Arsh’s positioning. He was beaten one-on-one for the opener. A keeper who is willing to come off his line gives the defence a different shape, but it only works if the line behind him is disciplined enough to hold it.

Set the tone now

Mumbai’s injuries and winless record make this the best chance Kerala will get to correct course. A win would put Westwood’s side on six points from three, lift the mood before the trip to Chennaiyin on October 31, and silence the questions about a coach who has only been in the job since March.

A second defeat in three games, at home, against a struggling Mumbai, would be harder to explain away as a work in progress.

Westwood has told everyone this team is still learning. Tomorrow at 7:30 PM, in front of the Manjappada, the answer starts to show whether it’s learning fast enough.

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