Latest news with #Alsace-based
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
English coach Rosenior driving Strasbourg's Champions League bid in France
PARIS (AP) — Strasbourg's push for a Champions League place is peaking at the right time under English coach Liam Rosenior. The Alsace-based club is unbeaten in nine Ligue 1 games ahead of Saturday's trip to Monaco. A victory for sixth-placed Strasbourg would move it level on points with second-placed Monaco. The top three teams earn an automatic place in the Champions League while the side finishing fourth enters qualifying. A complication for Strasbourg is being owned by Chelsea, setting up a breach of UEFA rules on multi-club ownership in its competitions. 'I've felt for a while that this group has something (special)," Rosenior said this week. The attack is led by Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha, who has 13 league goals, and Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, who has nine. The defense has kept six clean sheets in the past nine games — including a run of five straight games. Monaco firing again Strasbourg goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović will be tested at Stade Louis II by a Monaco attack which is also ending the season strong. Mika Biereth has 12 goals in 12 games for Monaco and is particularly effective at home, where he has three hat tricks. He is combining well with Switzerland striker Breel Embolo and Japan's Takumi Minamino. Attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche has eight assists, the equal second-best tally in the league behind Bradley Barcola. 'We know Monaco is a team which likes to play. We're keeping the same course, we're not changing anything,' Rosenior said. Strasbourg 'has lost only one (league) match in 2025.' Football family It has been a remarkable first season for 40-year-old Rosenior, who played in the Premier League for Fulham, Reading and Hull as a defender. His father Leroy Rosenior was a bustling striker with Fulham and West Ham in the 1980s. Rosenior's coaching career started three years ago with a brief stint at English club Derby, followed by taking charge of Hull. He was among the nominees last season for manager of the year in England's second-tier Championship. Few observers gave him a chance of doing so well in his first season in charge in France, especially as he had only two weeks to prepare with his players. 'Preseason preparation was short, some players arrived late," Rosenior said. "We never really had all the players together.' Chelsea ties Chelsea's holding company BlueCo bought into Strasbourg in 2023. UEFA has rules aiming to protect competition integrity by preventing two clubs with the same owner from playing in the same competition. Chelsea is currently sixth in the Premier League, where the top five will enter the Champions League. Chelsea and Strasbourg could both qualify together for the Champions League or second-tier Europa League. In similar recent scenarios, UEFA required multi-club owners to divest from one club for the entire season, likely through a blind trust, and restrict cooperation between clubs on transfers and knowledge sharing. Georgia on their minds When bitter local rivals Saint-Etienne and Lyon meet on Sunday, two Georgia teammates will face each other — in good form. Saint-Etienne's Zuriko Davitashvili has scored seven goals and provided seven assists despite being in a struggling team. The fleet-footed Georges Mikautadze has nine goals for Lyon and has set up five. While Saint-Etienne's defense is poor, with 67 goals conceded, the attack is dangerous. Davitashvili is well supported by Lucas Stassin and the skillful Irvin Cardona, who scored twice last weekend in a 3-3 draw against Brest with a header and a deft lob. 'We'll need everyone for this battle until the end,' Cardona said of the relegation fight. ___ AP soccer: Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Rosenior driving Strasbourg's Champions League bid in France
PARIS (AP) — Strasbourg's push for a Champions League place is peaking at the right time under English coach Liam Rosenior. The Alsace-based club is unbeaten in nine games ahead of Saturday's trip to Monaco, which is second in Ligue 1. A victory for sixth-place Strasbourg would move it level on points with Monaco. The top three teams in the France league earn an automatic place in Europe's elite club competition while the side finishing fourth enters qualifying for the Champions League. 'I've felt for a while that this group has something,' special, Rosenior said Wednesday. Strasbourg's rise in the standings reflects Rosenior's ability to produce a balanced and dynamic lineup. The attack is led by Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha, whose 13 league goals are as many as Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola 's total, while influential Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos has scored nine times for Strasbourg. Strasbourg's well-organized defense has kept six clean sheets in the past nine games — including a run of five straight games without conceding a goal. Monaco firing again Rosenior is ready for the latest challenge. 'We know Monaco is a team which likes to play. We're keeping the same course, we're not changing anything,' Rosenior said. Strasbourg 'has lost only one (league) match in 2025.' Strasbourg goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović will be tested at Stade Louis II by a Monaco attack which is firing again. Mika Biereth has 12 goals in 12 games for Monaco and is particularly strong at home, where he has three hattricks. He is combining well with Switzerland striker Breel Embolo and Japan's Takumi Minamino. Attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche has shown his creative ability with eight assists so far — the second-best tally in the league behind Barcola. If Monaco drops points against Strasbourg, Marseille could reclaim second place with a home win against last-place Montpellier, which has lost its last 10 league games. Football family It has been a remarkable first season for 40-year-old Rosenior, who played in the Premier League for Fulham, Reading and Hull as a defender. His father Leroy Rosenior was a bustling striker with Fulham and West Ham in the 1980s. Rosenior's coaching career started three years ago with a brief stint at English club Derby and he then took charge of Hull. He was among the nominees last season for manager of the year in England's second-tier Championship. Few observers gave him a chance of doing so well in his first season in charge in France, especially as he only had two weeks to prepare with his players. 'Pre-season preparation was short, some players arrived late,' Rosenior said. 'We never really had all the players together.' Lille, Nice poised to profit Fifth-place Lille and seventh-place Nice are also in contention for a Champions League spot and poised to profit if the front-runners drop points. Both play on Sunday, with Lille facing mid-table Auxerre and Nice hosting struggling Angers. Unbeaten champion PSG faces a Le Havre side in 16th place — the relegation-playoff spot — on Saturday. Saint-Etienne is three points behind Le Havre and can move level on points if it beats bitter local rival Lyon on Sunday and Le Havre loses. But Lyon is a clear favorite, sitting in fourth place after winning five of its last six league games. Georgia on their minds Saint-Etienne vs. Lyon will see two Georgia teammates face each other — and both are in good form. Saint-Etienne's Zuriko Davitashvili has scored seven goals and provided seven assists despite being in a struggling team. The fleet-footed Georges Mikautadze has nine goals for Lyon and has set up five. While Saint-Etienne's defense is poor, with 67 goals conceded in the league so far this season, the attack is dangerous. Davitashvili is well supported by Lucas Stassin and the skillful Irvin Cardona, who scored twice last weekend in a 3-3 draw against Brest with a header and a deft lob. 'We'll need everyone for this battle until the end,' Cardona said of the relegation fight. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Banned Lyon boss watches side win, close in on third
Coach Paulo Fonseca has watched from the stands and saw his substitutions pay off as Lyon won 2-0 at Nice to maintain their push for a Champions League spot. Fonseca began his nine-month touchline ban in France's Ligue 1 on Sunday after aggressively confronting referee Benoit Millot last weekend. He saw his team struggle in the first half as Nice striker Gaetan Laborde hit the post in the driving rain. Lyon punished their hosts when midfielder Rayan Cherki scored one minute after coming on, latching onto a pass from Brazilian midfielder Thiago Almada and finished confidently in the 78th minute. Cherki, 21, has been linked with a move to a big club since breaking onto the scene as a precocious teenager five years ago, and this was his career-high sixth league goal. Rayan Cherki. Difference maker. 🎩💫 — Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 9, 2025 The lively Almada then found Ernest Nuamah with a first-time pass and the Ghana forward — who came on midway through the second half — expertly curled the ball into the top left corner in the 83rd. Sixth-placed Lyon are two points behind Lille in fifth and Monaco in fourth. Third-placed Nice are only four points ahead of Lyon with the top four earning a Champions League spot. Liam Rosenior's first season in charge of Strasbourg is going along nicely as the Alsace-based club won 1-0 at Nantes to strengthen their grip on seventh. The 40-year-old Englishman, whose father enjoyed a career as a bustling striker in the 1980s, played in the Premier League for Fulham, Reading and Hull City as a defender. Rosenior's coaching career started three years ago with a brief stint at Derby County and he then took charge of Hull. He was among the nominees last season for manager of the year in the second-tier Championship. Strasbourg's goal came in the 79th minute when Felix Lemarechal turned in a cross from tricky right winger Dilane Bakwa. In other results, strugglers Le Havre and Saint-Etienne drew 1-1 to stay deep in relegation trouble. Mid-table Brest won 2-0 at home to Angers. Reims lost 2-0 at home to Auxerre to stay 15th and one place above Le Havre in the relegation playoff spot. Saint-Etienne are 17th and Montpellier last in the 18-team league. Runaway leaders PSG won 4-1 at Rennes and are 16 points clear of Marseille, who conceded an added-time goal in a 1-0 home loss to Lens, also on Saturday.
Associated Press
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
English coach Liam Rosenior's first season in charge of Strasbourg is still going well
PARIS (AP) — Liam Rosenior's first season in charge of Strasbourg is going well and the Alsace-based club moved provisionally up to sixth place in Ligue 1 after winning 1-0 at Nantes on Sunday. The 40-year-old Englishman, whose father enjoyed a career as a bustling striker in the 1980s, played in the Premier League for Fulham, Reading and Hull as a defender. Rosenior's coaching career started three years ago with a brief stint at English club Derby and he then took charge of Hull. He was among the nominees last season for manager of the year in the second-tier Championship. Rosenior has turned Strasbourg into a well-organized team which has a strong defense and is dangerous counterattacking down the flanks. Strasbourg's goal came in the 79th minute when Félix Lemaréchal turned in a cross from tricky right winger Dilane Bakwa. Nice hosts Third-placed Nice hosted Lyon later Sunday needing a win to move level on points with second-placed Marseille. A draw for Lyon would be enough to reclaim sixth spot from Strasbourg on goal difference. Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca was starting his nine-month touchline ban for aggressively confronting referee Benoît Millot last Sunday. At the bottom, strugglers Le Havre and Saint-Etienne drew 1-1 to stay deep in relegation trouble. Lucas Stassin opened the scoring in the 10th following a scramble and Abdoulaye Touré equalized for Le Havre in first-half stoppage time. Other results Midtable Brest won 2-0 at home to Angers. Forward Abdallah Sima headed home from a corner against his former club, but left the field close to halftime with an adductor muscle injury. He was replaced by Romain Faivre, who scored the second goal. Reims lost 2-0 at home to Auxerre to stay 15th and one place above Le Havre in the relegation playoff spot. Saint-Etienne is 17th and Montpellier last in the 18-team league. Auxerre's goals came in the first half from Canada forward Theo Bair and Hamed Traoré with his 10th of season. All the players in this weekend's games have 'WO=MAN' written on the back of their jerseys instead of their names as part of the French league's initiative centered around International Women's Day. Runaway leader PSG won 4-1 at Rennes on Saturday and is 16 points clear of Marseille, which conceded a stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 home loss to Lens on Saturday.
