Kerala Blasters will fight for Playoffs, not stay in Bottom: Head Coach Ashley Westwood after Mumbai City Stalemate

Kerala Blasters FC put up an encouraging performance in front of their home fans but had to settle for a goalless draw against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 on Sunday.

Ashley Westwood's side created several promising opportunities and looked threatening in attack, particularly through the wings, but failed to convert their chances. Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh also made crucial saves to keep the Blasters at bay, as both teams shared the points despite an entertaining contest at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

And after the draw, the head coach admitted their disappointment but also asserted a bold claim of being a strong contender for the ISL playoffs this season.

"We're all devastated that we didn't win, which shows that we are happy. We're drawing, we know we want to win, we want to give the crowds entertaining football, which I think we did. It's just where we are again with fitness, which is boring to keep mentioning, but we will get fitter, we will get stronger, we're not going to be fighting at the bottom of the league like last season before I came," Westwood said at the post match press conference.

"We're going to be contenders for top six for sure, I want top four, top two, even top of the league. We're going to push whoever wins the league has got to be a good side because if we're not winning it, then whoever is has got to be a good side and beat us on our own territory," he added.

The tactician also acknowledged the lack of finishing and cutting edge in the side, urging the players to be more clinical in front of goal.

"I think you're relying on individuals showing a bit of quality, which you can't coach. It's down to them to show a bit of composure and to make the right decisions. That's quite hard to coach. We're making the pitch big when we have the ball in possession and we're getting in good areas. But it's up to them to finish it off. That's not my job," he continued.

Due to the ownership conundrum at KBFC, the players had almost no preseason, and Westwood admits his team is lacking in terms of physicality and fitness, but he didn't want to shield it as an excuse. The Blasters sit 5th in the table with 4 points in three matches, and will play Chennaiyin FC next on October 31 in Chennai.