Gary O’Neil leads Strasbourg to European semi-final landmark | OneFootball

Gary O’Neil leads Strasbourg into the Conference League semi-finals tonight, joining a rare group of English managers after a turbulent Wolves exit.

According to NY Times, he is the first English manager in a European last four since Roy Hodgson’s Fulham in 2010, discounting Aaron Danks’ caretaker appearance for Bayern Munich. He is also the first this century to lead an overseas club to a European semi-final, after Sir Bobby Robson with Barcelona in 1997.

O’Neil replaced Liam Rosenior less than four months ago after his compatriot left for Chelsea, where he was dismissed after 107 days last week. Strasbourg beat Mainz in the quarters and now visit Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, with bookmakers narrowly favouring them to reach next month’s final in Leipzig.

In Ligue 1, six wins and three defeats from 13 have lifted their points-per-game from 1.41 to 1.69. They are eighth, and a 2-0 home loss to Nice in the domestic cup semi-final means the European push now rests on the Conference League.

Supporter anger with owner BlueCo, tied to Chelsea, has simmered, yet O’Neil has stayed out of politics and kept communication low-key. A McDonald’s stop after the Mainz win further endeared him to fans.

Injuries have bitten, notably top scorer Joaquin Panichelli’s ACL in March, and he has leaned on youngsters and Chelsea loanees, including 20-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders. January arrival David Datro Fofana is yet to score.

He has installed 4-2-3-1, averaging 55 per cent possession, and chases their first trophy since 2019.

Source: NY Times