‘Angry’ O’Neil ruins Chelsea chances after ripping into BlueCo for ‘messing up’ Strasbourg season | OneFootball

Gary O’Neil has ruined his chances of becoming Chelsea’s next manager – the natural next step for the current Strasbourg boss – as he took aim at owners BlueCo for “messing up” the Ligue 1 side’s season.

O’Neil took the Strasbourg reins in January after Chelsea poached Liam Rosenior from their sister club following the sacking of Enzo Maresca.

After losing just two of his first 16 games in charge, seeing Strasbourg through to the semi-finals of the Conference League and the Coupe to France while maintaining a charge for European qualification again next season, the wheels have fallen off in the last month.

They’ve won just two of their last 11, been knocked out of both cup competitions and now can’t qualify for Europe. It’s been a slump not dissimilar to the one suffered by Chelsea under Rosenior which saw him sacked after just 106 days in charge.

Fans of both clubs united in a joint protest against BlueCo – a consortium led by Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly – outside Stamford Bridge last month and O’Neil broke ranks to take aim at the owners following his side’s 1-1 draw with Angers.

O’Neil told L’Equipe: “I need two centre-forwards. The owners want to give me the means to perform next season, but we have to improve the culture around the club, the quality of the players, and the depth of the squad.

“We messed up in the January transfer window. We weakened instead of improving the squad.”

Reflecting on his team’s recent performance, O’Neil let rip.

“I am angry. I hope that the players are, too. There are two matches left and they have to show me that they have to level to play with us next season. But we won’t get anywhere playing like that,” he stated.

“They really disappointed me, even more so than on Thursday (against Vallecano). They have to do better. The world of football is full of sharks. They need to know that. I told them that we were playing a final and they didn’t play like they had to.”

Striker David Datro Fofana and centre-back Aaron Anselmino joined on loan from Chelsea, but influential loanee Mamadou Sarr was recalled by the Blues and has made just six appearances, while teenage forward Kendry Paez had his season-long loan cut short by Chelsea, only to be immediately loaned back out to River Plate.

History suggests O’Neil won’t last at Strasbourg. Maresca was sent packing from Chelsea for far less egregious or direct criticism of BlueCo. And he’s also ruined his chances of taking over at Stamford Bridge.

Xabi Alonso is now thought to be a “leading contender” to drink next from the poisoned Blues chalice, but as Rosenior proved, O’Neil had a massive advantage over many far more qualified managers to take charge midway through next season as manager of Chelsea’s ugly sister club when Alonso, or whoever’s the next pasty, inevitably falls foul of the failing project.

Not now though, after leading Strasbourg in a slide and – not unreasonably – blaming BlueCo for it.