After a few days of uncertainty, the Catala Era at Blasters is officially over. The disastrous 3-1 loss against Punjab paved the exit path for the Spaniard and his backroom staff – Goalkeeping coach Alex Ortiz, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Aleix Mora.
The Blasters have now opted for a safer approach, bringing in Coaching staff with Valuable Experience in the Indian Football Circuit, with the main man being Ashley Westwood.
The 4th English Head Coach (not counting Caretaker managers) in the history of the Blasters, Ashley arrives with nearly 5 years of experience in the Indian Football Circuit, managing top clubs like Bengaluru FC, ATK, and RoundGlass Punjab (now Punjab FC).
He last managed the Hong Kong national team, famously knocking out India from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round with a 1-0 victory over the Blue Tigers. He will be joined by Jignesh Antala and Chelston Pinto as Goalkeeping and Strength & Conditioning coach respectively. Now, let’s take a look at what the Blasters’ new gaffer brings to the table.
A Winner in India and against India
Ashley Westwood started his career as a head coach in India, taking the reins of a then newly-formed Bengaluru FC side, and led them to the I-League (now, Indian Football League) title in their very first season. He almost retained the title with BFC in his 2nd season but lost it because of a 87th minute equalizer in their final game of the season, ending that game in a 1-1 draw, which kept them away from the title by just 2 points.
In his third season, Westwood successfully won the league title once again with a game to spare. However, some internal friction between Westwood and some in the BFC management hierarchy meant that the Englishman would leave the Blues at the end of his contract in 2016.
He joined Malaysia Super League side Penang FA for the 2017 season, but his contract was cancelled by mutual consent post a poor start to the 2017 season, which prompted a return to the Indian shores, but this time as a technical director for the then ISL title defenders (now disbanded) ATK side.
After a poor start to the season, head coach Teddy Sheringham was sacked, and Ashley took over as the head coach for the Kolkata-based side on an interim basis. After managing to only achieve a single point from 7 games (that too was from their home game against Kerala Blasters), he was replaced by the then ATK player and captain, Robbie Keane, on the 3rd of March.
After a break, he returned to coaching in the I-League (now, Indian Football League) in the 2021-22 season, taking the reins of RoundGlass Punjab (now, Punjab FC), but resigned after 6 games at the helm. He returned to coaching in 2023 as the head coach of the Afghanistan National Football Team, famously defeating India 2-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers, during a time of unrest in Afghan football.
Right after his tenure in Afghanistan was over, he was appointed as the head coach of the Hong Kong National Football Team, where he, once again, led the side to a famous 1-0 victory over India in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualification Group stage match, thanks to a 90+4′ penalty.
Despite this, his side failed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup after losing a crucial home game against Singapore, and Westwood mutually agreed to leave the role shortly afterwards. And Now in 2026, he has returned to India as the head coach of Kerala Blasters. Now that you know about the key parts of his managerial history, let’s look at what he brings to the table, both on-the-pitch and off.
On-the-pitch
Ashley Westwood is a manager who prefers defensive solidarity highlighted by his preferred formation of 4-4-2, but with a sweeper diamond tweak. For those who didn’t understand, a 4-4-2 sweeper diamond is a regular 4-4-2 with a defensive midfielder, two side midfielders and an offensive midfielder.
Other than that, he recently utilized 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1/3-5-2 systems at Hong Kong, with a CB – Defensive Midfielder pairing as the key ball progression outlet. He also demands a no. 10 who can take the role of a no. 8 if needed, with a physical forward presence up top.
Let’s look at how it could translate w.r.t. the current KBFC squad in the probable lineup below:
Off-the-pitch
Off-the-pitch Ashley is known for the professionalism he brings to his teams. He was a pioneer in investing in modern technology like GPS vests and starting incentive schemes for the players, which were uncommon in India back in 2013, during his time at BFC.
He’s also someone who knows the importance of team bonding, as he also regulated that the players should eat together, something which was again seemingly uncommon in Indian Football back in 2013. Taking another piece from Mandar Tamhane’s (then BFC CEO) testimony about the coach, Ashley was involved in everything, from diet to maintenance of the training ground.
With him at the helm, the Blasters fans could expect the Englishman to raise the team standards off-the-pitch, improving player bonding and training quality and intensity, especially during this time when the intent of the players are questioned.
What’s Next?
Ashley’s first test with the Blasters will be on 5th April 2026, Sunday, when they face Sporting Club Delhi away from home. With Victor Bertomeu and Marlon Roos-Trujillo missing the game due to a pending suspension, the Englishman will have some restructuring to do as the club searches for its first win of the season.
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