Stéphan: 'Room for improvement' | OneFootball

Strasbourg boss Julien Stéphan was happy with his side's 3-0 Derby du Grand-Est win at home to FC Metz but the ambitious young coach feels Le Racing can do even better for their legion of passionate fans.

RC Strasbourg Alsace have been one of the sleeping giants of French football but there were signs that the colossus from eastern France is waking as a packed Stade de la Meinau erupted in joy as a Habib Diallo brace did the damage against derby rivals FC Metz on Friday night.

'We have to be lucid'

"We played very well in the first half by being very intense, very well organised and efficient. We took the upper hand in a big way," said a visibly pleased Stéphan before addressing his issues. "But have to be able to control things better than we did in the second half. I'm not going to be split hairs, but at times we were wasteful; we have to be lucid in our analysis and it is an area in which we can improve. The atmosphere in the Meinau was electric and I'm happy that the players and the public could share this moment." It was a strong performance in front of a thrilled home crowd, and Stephen feels it's something his side can build on - which should hold them on good stead in the less-favourable environments they will encounter on the road this season.

'Confidence and calm'

"You have to put all the ingredients together in a game like this and that's what we did very well in the first half. Our general organisation improved, we closed down the spaces and reduced their depth," said the 40-year-old former Rennes coach. "I don't know if it's a benchmark match but it will bring a lot of confidence and calm. Our state of mind was very good. In terms of intensity, it's what we expected. On a daily basis, there is this intensity and this energy in each training session and it's good to transpose that into a match. We still have room for improvement, especially in terms of collective control."

Strasbourg's - and Stéphan's - next challenge comes in the form at tricky trip to face RC lens at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where the electric atmosphere will not be in their favour - in Round 7 on Wednesday.

>> Diallo double downs Metz