Not taking anything for granted: Hong Kong coach Ashley Westwood confident but cautious ahead of India clash

Ashley Westwood says Indian football has improved since he first came to the country in 2013!

The Indian national football team is set to play against Ashley Westwood’s Hong Kong football team tomorrow at the Kai Tak Stadium in Kowloon. Both teams started their third round AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers with a draw apiece.

Hong Kong’s manager, Ashley Westwood, knows Indian football inside out, having worked in India previously. The Englishman addressed the press ahead of the game against the Blue Tigers, and here is what the head coach said:

Ashley Westwood and Hong Kong are confident against India

The 48-year-old is certainly no stranger to Indian football, having managed Bengaluru FC in the I-League and ATK in the Indian Super League. Talking about the Indian football team, Ashley Westwood said, “I have confidence in every game we go into and I look at the India side and for many years, they’ve improved.”

“You know, since I went to India in 2013, it’s a million miles away from where it was in 2013. I know the coach as I watched the ISL. I know what he’s been doing with FC Goa, and I know his capabilities. He is a good coach and he coaches right and prepares right.”

“The Indian players are fit as they’ve just come off the back of a long ISL season and they had the Super Cup recently. My players have listened and understood that they’re up against a very, very strong Indian side that is fit and has got a good spirit and that India will give us a tough game.”

“At the end of the day, India is ranked 120-odd in the world. We’re ranked 153. So they are going to the game as favourites. The Indian football team just played Thailand as a warm-up game, and then they had a game against a Bengal XI in Calcutta, and they’re in good shape. What we also know is that we can’t underestimate them.”

The Hong Kong manager concluded by saying, “We’re confident in ourselves but we’re not taking India lightly and we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re just going to go about our business and hopefully, you know, we get a good performance. You can’t guarantee results in football. But what we can guarantee is our own personal performances, which is what we’re looking to do.”

Ashley Westwood talks about Hong Kong’s preparation so far…

Hong Kong played friendlies against Manchester United and Nepal over the last week. Talking about his side’s preparation, Ashley Westwood said, “The preparation has been good. We obviously had a good workout against Nepal, as we came up against a side that tried to make it difficult to defend. So it was a nice exercise trying to break a team down.”

“Obviously we had a game against Manchester United before where we had an opportunity to work on our defensive structure. So, preparations have been good. Everybody’s fit, raring to go.”

“We had a few days of training, we trained on the 7th and 8th, we’re due to train this evening. So all is good so far and we’re going to the game, hopefully to obviously get a result, which is what we’re here for.”

On being booed by fans against Nepal

Ashley Westwood faced the ire of the fans as he was heavily booed as the Hong Kong national team drew at home against Nepal on 5th June. When asked about the same, the Hong Kong manager said, “It was a case of, you know, the noise was about me.”

“So the message really is, do what you want. The players are relaxed and there’s nothing the players have done wrong. The players are in good form and in good spirits so we carry on as normal and our preparations are normal.”

“For me, it’s a normal day and It doesn’t bother me at all. All I will say is, you know, young people come to the games. Families bring their kids to the games and you’re trying to put on a nice experience for young kids to watch so they come back. If I was a young kid and I heard hostility, then I’d be confused and I’d be thinking if Iwant to go to that environment again?”

“So you might think that you’re being clever, shouting abuse at me, which again is unjust. But you’re spoiling it for someone that’s taken their son or their daughter to the game and you’re also spoiling it for the players because the players are in good spirits.”

“When you hear boos and regardless who they are for, that’s going to come into your psyche as a player. So carry on with the booing and all you’re doing is affecting young children and maybe affecting players’ performance. In my eyes, I thought we were all here for the same reasons, to put a football product on to try and get a result.”

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