against Lorient, Léo Schwechlen wants to show that “Tours FC is still alive”

Tours FC
FC Lorient

“There’s no need to argue for long. All it takes is one look. We know each other by heart. » The relationship between a coach and his captain is obviously important in a football team. The one between Bryan Bergougnoux and Léo Schwechlen is even more so. Between 2012 and 2015, the attacker and defender played together at Tours FC. And in recent months, this connection has taken a different turn, with the return this summer of the striker trained at OL to coach the sky and black squad.

“We had some very good moments during a period when the club was in good health. We have a lot of trust in each other. I loved playing with a player of this quality and I am very happy to have him as a coach. It was a discovery but it has a very coherent message, it just manages to concern the whole group”confides the former full-back rather placed in the axis of defense.

Workforce framework

Leader of the second best defense in R1, the 35-year-old is in any case an executive within a very young squad. “He reassures, he is my main relay with Wassim (gentleman). Léo guarantees the playing principles that we try to put in place”explains the TFC coach. An asset, especially since it still meets expectations on the ground. “I’m lucky that he’s still in good shape”is satisfied Bryan Bergougnoux.

Its role will thus be very important, this Saturday, December 21 in 32^es in the Coupe de France final, against Lorient. “I will tell my teammates that they must use adrenaline to increase their efforts tenfold. We must not be too timid. To back down, to respect them too much would be the biggest mistake to make”estimates Léo Schwechlen.

The pride of playing at Tours FC

He knows these gala matches. During his first years in Touraine, he played 118 L2 matches, but he also discovered the particularity of those in the Cup against renowned teams, whether against Montpellier in 2012 (0-1) or Saint-Étienne in 2015 (3-5 AD). “These are moments that have marked the history of the club and I am very happy to bring back to the Cher Valley people who have not been here for ten years. We show that Tours FC is still alive and we manage to give people pleasure”rejoices the defender trained at AS Monaco.

This love of the coat of arms has always driven him. From his debut in 2011 to his return to Tours FC in November 2023. “I am very proud to play in the club where I began my professional career, where I made my debut on the Ligue 2 fields. I am proud to put on this jersey in which I had four great years at the time. It’s a jersey that has a story”assures the man who spent a good part of his career in Cyprus or Turkey.

A future career at the club?

Enough to give him ideas for the future… “Even though I still have a few years left to play, I have already started preparing for what comes next. I want to participate in the reconstruction of the club, bring my experience, bring it back to life and help it regain the professional level, which should be its level.ambitions the one who will undergo training in sports management and who is already an assistant to Zanin Imamagic with the Touraine U19s.

But before hoping for a return to the national level for the sky and black club – with potentially Léo Schwechlen in the organization chart – the captain already imagines creating the feat against the Merlus. “You have to give yourself the right to dream, everything is possible. » Enough to extend in the most beautiful way the adventure of Tourangeau in his favorite club.

This Saturday, December 21 at 6 p.m., Vallée du Cher stadium. Live on beIN Sports Max 8. Ticket office: https://tours-fc-boutique.sumupstore.com/, at the stadium from 3 p.m. Saturday. Prices: North stand €15, East €10, South-west/North-west/North-east and visitors €10.