Any idea how many points Kerala Blasters can pick up this season in ISL?

“There is no way in the world we are not going to pick up points.” That was Ashley Westwood, interim head coach of Kerala Blasters, after his side lost 0-2 to Sporting Club Delhi in the Indian Super League (ISL) in Delhi on Easter Sunday.

That comment is taken out of context, but it fits almost any context in the Blasters’ forgettable season, which keeps getting worse by the matchday. The loss in Delhi was the Blasters’ sixth in seven rounds. The only point they picked so far is ‘one’ from a late equaliser in Kolkata, against East Bengal, in the fifth round.

Englishman Westwood is the new Kapitan, who was brought in on a lifeboat onto the sinking ship after the sacking of Spaniard David Catala. Given the recency of the reign, it is only fair to take Westwood’s words on face value.

But that post-match remark shows how low expectations have fallen. “We will get stronger, we will get better. We have five home games coming after the Bengaluru game,” that is what Westwood said before making the comment about picking up points.

But what Westwood probably should have taken into account is that the Blasters no longer have the luxury of home ground advantage, not at least after the Manjappada, their biggest fan group, declared a complete boycott of all matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.

After playing Bengaluru FC in Bengaluru on April 11, the Blasters will return to Kochi for a series of 'home' matches (NorthEast United, Apr 15; Jamshedpur FC, Apr 18; Odisha FC, Apr 23; Mohammedan SC, May 10; and FC Goa, May 17). Without their fans behind them, those fixtures are essentially away matches.

Westwood said there were "encouraging signs and a lot of confidence to take from the game" in Delhi. But can the Blasters really pick up points from the remaining six games when they have just managed one from the first seven? If they don’t, the reality that awaits them is relegation.

So, how many points can the Blasters pick up from their remaining matches? How much will be enough to avoid the ignominy of becoming the first ISL club to be relegated?