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How Kerala Blasters Can Bounce Back After ISL Setback

David Catala Reveals How Kerala Blasters Can Bounce Back After ISL Setback

Basil Benoy

Published - Feb 21, 2026, 03:46 PM

3 min

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How Kerala Blasters Can Bounce Back After ISL Setback

Kerala Blasters will aim for their first win of the ISL campaign as the Southern team faces Mumbai City FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi. After a 2-0 defeat against Mohun Bagan Super Giants in their opening ISL fixture, David Catala and his men will be looking to bounce back in their first home match of the Indian Super League 2025-26 season.

Despite the pre-match conference being cancelled due to disputes with GDCA, David Catala addressed the press through an online meeting. The Kerala Blasters coach discussed the club's strategy for the next game.

Catala also spoke about the club's emphasis on youth development, while also addressing the importance of integrating the foreign players with the Indian core, creating a lethal contender for the 2025-26 ISL crown.

David Catala Shares Plans for Comeback

David Catala revealed that the team's results can only be improved by being more compact. The Kerala Blasters coach further added that to win games, the side needs to be significantly better in defence.

"But it's just basic for the team to be more compact, to be more consistent. All the lines are to be very short distances between the lines." “I think we are going to be closer to winning the games if we are better in defence. So if the team tries to be more compact, tries to be more consistent in defence, I'm pretty sure that we are going to be closer to winning the game."
"We need to have more control with the ball. I would like to have to be more aggressive in the last third because in the first match we couldn't shoot even too much in the opponent goal." "But I repeat, to try to have more control with the ball, to be more aggressive in front."
"Yes, but it's not, I think, a matter of just the midfielder. It's a matter of all the team." “But I repeat myself, it's not just a matter of the midfielders. It's a matter of all the block and to be very compact together”, David Catala said.

The Kerala coach also pointed out the team's lack of aggressiveness in the final third as one of the key reasons for defeat against Mohun Bagan in the ISL opener. David Catala emphasised that the side will be aiming to control possession in the upcoming fixtures to create results. He concluded by stating the team's success directly depends upon the collective hard work and effort, rather than relying on a single player.