It was a perfect start to life on the bench at RC Strasbourg Alsace for Gary O’Neil. The Englishman, who replaced now-Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior earlier in the week, got his tenure in France up and running with a trip to National 2 side Avranches on Saturday in the Coupe de France. His side put six past their lower-tier opposition (Joaquín Panichelli, Julio Enciso x2, Diego Moreira, Martial Godo, Sébastien Nanasi) as they progressed to the Round of 16.
It was an emphatic start for O’Neil, coming after a difficult week, given the upheaval and the tensions that Rosenior’s swift departure to Stamford Bridge created. The former Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager has now set an ambitious objective for the rest of the season.
“It was a perfect start, even if it was against an amateur side. We want to win the Coupe de France and the UEFA Europa Conference League, and finish as high as possible in the league,” he said post-match. Having finished top of the UECL ‘League Phase’, Le Racing are one of the favourites in that competition, alongside one of the teams that they have already beaten, Crystal Palace.
