Hugo Oliveira puts goalkeeper at the centre of Strasbourg’s play | OneFootball

New Strasbourg head coach Hugo Oliveira, a goalkeeping specialist, is building a philosophy that places the goalkeeper at the heart of play.

According to L'Équipe, 22-year-old American Gabriel Slonina is being assessed to become first choice and has plenty to convince. Strasbourg now have two specialist goalkeeper coaches, Sébastien Gimenez, in post since 2024, and Miguel Miranda, who joined with Oliveira in recent days.

Oliveira said Miranda will work alongside Gimenez and that such a set-up is not unusual at elite European clubs. He stressed the goalkeeper will be central to the team’s philosophy, fully involved in build-up, treated as an outfield player and the side’s first attacker.

The Portuguese knows the brief. He is one of the few former goalkeeper coaches to become a top-level head coach, having been the first Portuguese to earn the UEFA A Goalkeeping Licence.

Appointed to replace Gary O’Neil, Oliveira wants that expertise to shape Strasbourg’s game plan.

Source: L'Équipe