Top 7 contenders who have applied to be new Indian Football Team head coach profiled

Albert Roca is seen as the early favourite to be the new head coach of the Indian national team
Albert Roca is seen as the early favourite to be the new head coach of the Indian national team

#7 Ashley Westwood

Ashley Westwood won three trophies in three years with Bengaluru FC
Ashley Westwood won three trophies in three years with Bengaluru FC

Westwood is another familiar name to Indian football fans, but things haven't exactly gone right for him, ever since he left the role of Bengaluru FC head coach in May 2016, after which he was replaced by Roca.

The Englishman, who was the first ever manager in Bengaluru's history, won three trophies in his three years at South Indian club, with one Federation Cup triumph sandwiched between two I-League titles.

Ever since his departure from Bengaluru, things have gone pear-shaped for Westwood. He was appointed head coach of Malaysian side Penang FA, but that lasted only a few months before he was sacked as a result of the players not buying into his methods.

He then had a stint as the caretaker boss of ATK during the 2017-18 ISL season, after the Kolkata club had sacked Teddy Sheringham. Results were no better under Westwood, either.

At Bengaluru, Westwood is said to have revolutionised the way Indian players trained and thought about football - with a huge emphasis being placed on physical conditioning, the right diet, and other such non-footballing aspects of the club.

With all those in place already at some level in Indian football today, the emphasis will have to be more on the footballing side, and with his recent record, Westwood might well have a few cynics on his head - if he's appointed - even before he's put a side out on the pitch for India.

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Edited by Aravind Suchindran
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