Kerala Blasters coach David Catala

Kerala Blasters Coach David Catala Highlights “These Two” Factors as a Reason for Loss Against Mohun Bagan

Basil Benoy

Published - Feb 14, 2026, 04:16 PM

3 min

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Kerala Blasters coach David Catala highlights "these two" factors as a reason for loss against Mohun Bagan

Summary

Kerala Blasters lost 2-0, with Jamie Maclaren opening the scoring after sustained pressure.
Second-half changes couldn’t shift momentum as Tom Aldred headed home in stoppage time.
The coach praised his players’ effort and the fitness of the new signings despite limited preparation.

Kerala Blasters began the ISL campaign with a 2-0 defeat against the current ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Mohun Bagan pressured Kerala Blasters from the start, with the Kochi outfit forced to maintain a low defensive line. However, their efforts were in vain, as Mohun Bagan opened the scoring through Jamie Mclaren in the 36th minute.

David Catala made fresh changes in the second half, bringing on new signings Kévin Yoke and Marlon Roos Trujillo. Mohun Bagan sealed the game in the 97th minute when Tom Aldred headed in from a free-kick.

Despite the loss, David Catala had a positive outlook, praising the players for their effort and commitment. The coach also had high regard for the new foreign signings, applauding their match fitness despite having limited preparation. Here's a look at what the Spaniard said in the post-match press conference.

David Catala points out key factors for the loss

""Some of the players couldn't run more because just with that preparation, the effort that they did has been amazing. And this is a way to compete, at least today we showed the character, we showed that we are alive, that we are a team that wants to compete against all the opponents. And I repeat myself, just good words about my players because I am really, really proud of them." David Catala said.
I repeat, Kevin, Marlon, these foreign players, they have been a lot of time without competing.
Maybe six, seven months that they were without competing. And it was impossible today, in just 14 days of preparation to play 90 minutes.
And of course it wasn't our plan just to give them the last 30-35 minutes to try to give them that freedom that we know the quality that they have. And of course it was one of our plans."

David Catala commented on the lack of playing time as one of the key factors for the defeat during the press conference. The Kerala Blasters coach added that the players, especially the foreigners, had been left without professional football for months, taking a toll on their fitness levels.

David Catala explained that the plan was to introduce the foreign players for the last 30-35 minutes, to give the players time to adapt to the Indian conditions. Regardless of the defeat, the coach took time to praise the team's commitment and teamwork during the press conference, applauding the players' character till the final whistle.