"Only the best players play" - Kerala Blasters head coach Ashley Westwood open up on preparation ahead of ISL 2026-27 match

Blasters will face Inter Kashi for their opening game of ISL 2026-27

From the verge of shutting down the club to the acquisition of the club by Al Fursan, Kerala Blasters FC has come a long way.

The Blasters are all geared to lock horns with the former I-League (IFL) champions Inter Kashi FC on the 11th of October, 2026, at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune, for their Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 opener.

The Blasters, after having undergone a complete squad overhaul, are ready for the ISL season, eyeing their first-ever silverware under the dawn of Ashley Westwood and the leadership of Adrian Luna, and their first opponents are Inter Kashi.

Ahead of the Inter Kashi vs Kerala Blasters FC match, Kerala Blasters head coach Ashley Westwood and captain Adrian Luna addressed the media.

Here is a detailed report on the pre-match press conference of the match between Kerala Blasters FC and Inter Kashi FC.

Plan for the season

When asked about the plans for the season, Ashley Westwood replied that the players have been arriving slowly, and the plan is to remain consistent and play entertaining football to win matches and ultimately the trophy for Kerala Blasters FC.

“Of course, we’ve only been together for a week. Players have been arriving slowly. We’re still two foreigners outstanding, and still a couple of members of staff outstanding. So we’re building. The plan is to build, be consistent, and hopefully try and play some entertaining football to keep the fans entertained. Of course, we have been at this football club, and we’re here to win. It’s as simple as that.”

“Whether we’ll have enough is another question, but our sole aim is to win every football match and to win trophies. That’s why we play, that’s why we coach, and that’s why we’re here. People don’t come to India; people don’t come from all over India, including the domestic boys. Unless you’re in it to win it, and that’s what we are.” Ashley Westwood said.

Was there enough time to prepare?

Blasters started their training on the 30th of September in Chennai following the announcement of the new management.

When asked if the 10-day period was enough to prepare, Ashley Westwood replied that despite the shortage of time, the team will not take that as an excuse to underperform. The team is here to win, and with time, it will become more consistent and stronger.

“Of course, we haven’t had enough time, but that’s what it is. We’re not going to be talking about that in the future. That’s what it is. Everybody knows. So I ain’t going to sit there if we lose. I’m not going to start crying and saying we’ve not had enough time. That’s the hand we have.”

“Like anything, if you play poker and you get a pair of threes, you’ve got to deal with it. You’ve got to bluff your way through, and you’ve got to try and come up with a solution, and you have to try and win. And that’s what we’re doing.” Ashley Westwood said.

“So once the season kicks off tomorrow, we won’t talk about it again. We’re just going to go forward and build, try to be consistent and get on with it. That’s what we are. We’re professional enough to know our jobs. And of course, as the time gets longer, we’ll get stronger, but we get on with it, and we do our jobs.”

On the squad having a good number of young players

When asked if having a good number of young players brings a shift to the team’s overall strategy, Ashley Westwood replied;

“Yeah, I mean, we’ve worked hard in a close season with the time we’ve had to try and assemble a competitive squad. Historically, I’ve played young players. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re young or old. The best players play, and we try to get the best players. We try to do the best we can.”

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what state you’re from, what part of India you’re from, or how old you are. We judge everybody on a clean slate, you know, a blank canvas. And we just try and pick the best team. Looks good on paper, but let’s see. Many teams can look good on paper, but let’s see if we’re good enough.”

Also Read: Kerala Blasters announce new ownership as Al Fursan take over club ahead of ISL 2026-27

On the approach facing Inter Kashi FC

Adrian Luna was asked about the approach to facing Inter Kashi FC, a side with a fully Indian squad and a relatively shorter preseason. Luna replied that it does not matter whether the team is a fully Indian side or has foreigners in it.

Every game was going to be tough. He also added that Kashi would sit in a bit, wait and launch counterattacks against the Blasters, and the team would step onto the pitch to play good football.

“I think it’s going to be every game here in India is tough to beat anyone. I know it doesn’t matter if you play with Indian squad or some foreigners. The approach of the game that I am expecting is there to sit in a little bit back, wait for us and, you know, try to counter-attack us. That’s what I am expecting and thinking in my mind.”

“And we have to go after them. It’s true that we have only one week of training, but it’s not going to be an excuse for us. We have to go there and try to play good football, try to win. This is more important thing and try to, you know, to start in a good way this season.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m happy to be back. Ready for this new season. And, you know, what we’re expecting is to be competitive as always, try to win games. And that’s it. There is not much mystery on that. And we are ready for tomorrow.”

Is a 10-day preseason sufficient to prepare for ISL?

When asked whether a brief 10-day pre-season is sufficient to enter the league or at least face Inter Kashi, Ashley Westwood replied that having eight or nine days of training is enough to build momentum, work on tactics, and get match pictures, without making any excuses.

He added that the team has a clear game plan and, as footballers and coaches, they are desperate to get onto the pitch and play rather than focus on running or conditioning.

You know, let’s take away the game and the start of the league. If it had trained for 10 days on a normal pre-season, you’d be looking at a game like a pre-season friendly or something. We’re not looking at it like a pre-season game. But my point being is you’d probably have a game anyway on a Sunday because we’ve had, you know, eight or nine days of training. Then you build momentum. You go into some, you know, a game, try and get some pictures, you know, work on some things, some tactics. So it’s like that.

We’re not going to make any excuses. You know, if we lose tomorrow, we’re not going to say, oh, we’ve only had seven, eight days. I don’t care. You know, we know what we’re doing. We have a game plan. We have a tactic. And, you know, we’re young, we’re learning. But so what? Just get on with it and play football. That’s what we’re here to do. And if you ask any player, to be honest, they’d rather play a game than run or do conditioning or do gym.

The footballers, they want to play a game. So for me, I ain’t bothered. Let’s just get on with it and get the game. For me, I was desperately wanting the game on all week. You know, the management will tell you I’ve been on tomorrow. Is it on? Is it on? Is it on? Even the players will be like, is it on? We want it on. So we’re not even going to talk about if there’s an excuse. Game of football, we’re footballers, we’re coaches. We want to play football. So for me, it’s good.

What is Ashley Westwood trying to change?

“No, just carry on. For me, the season ended too soon because, obviously, I only had seven games. I felt like I wanted to do more, give more and just carry on the momentum. And that’s what we’re looking to do. Regards, you know, I have a style of play that I try and stick to. We study opposition. We come up with tactics. We work together. We trust each other. And we just, you know, we all follow through trying to win football. We’ve got a nice little spirit going so far.” Ashley Westwood said.

“We’ve only been together, like we said, for eight or nine days. The boys are in good spirits. It’s a nice feeling around the camp. But of course, there’s always a nice feeling until the whistle starts. You can soon get put down to earth if you lose. But at the minute, everything’s going well, and we’re hoping to just carry forward, you know, carry on where we left off last season. Just keep the momentum.”

Squad availability for tomorrow

“Everybody’s fit. We had one injury. Bikash took an injury a couple of days ago. Just pulled up with a calf. So he’ll be missing probably for about a month. But apart from that, everyone’s in good spirits, good shape. You know, we tried to build progressively. And now we just have to carry on and try and get fitter as we play games.”

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