As Morgan Schneiderlin prepares to return to Strasbourg, the anecdotes come flooding in from all over, whether that be from the Italian border or the German. Morgan, ‘the boy from Zellwiller’, Morgan the Englishman, Morgan the international… It’s difficult to find your way through all of the stories that come out of such a long career. To avoid repetition, OGCNICE.com went back to the beginning. Back to the first steps taken in L1 by a Morgan that was no longer a child, but wasn’t exactly a man either, nor an Englishman, nor an international. A certain Jean-Marc Furlan* was the man to give him his chance in the top flight.

"When you are able to start your L1 career at 18 or 19 years old, that shows that intrinsically, you are a player of great quality." At the end of an imaginary line, the voice is most certainly real. Just like his banter, his South-West accent and his ability to break down any barriers, before they are even put up. A real character in French football, renowned for his love of the game and the manner in which he shares it with his players, Jean-Marc Furlan is currently in charge at AJ Auxerre. In the middle of his preparations for his side’s next competitive game, he didn’t hesitate to sit down to talk about the past with precision and warmth.

The period in question? The 2007-08 season, when he was coaching RC Strasbourg and gave Morgan Schneiderlin his first minutes in L1, just after Jean-Pierre Papin had given him his first outing in L2 the previous season. Between the two seasons, there was a huge change at the club: Les Alsaciens’ objectives. A relegation battle that followed a fight for promotion. During a difficult season, Furlan played Schneiderlin on 3 occasions, including at the Stade Vélodrome, against OM. 12 years later, the coach explains his choice with ease. "My idea as a coach isn’t to make calculations. I play the players that I deem the best. Morgan wasn’t very expressive, talkative or verbose, but when he came on, he exuded tactical and technical authority. And the most important thing is that he was stronger than others strategically, like Blaise Matuidi was at Troyes. Where as it took others two seconds to understand, it took him only one. If you want to play at a higher level, that’s what makes the difference."

"If you are an atheist, you could say that it’s nature that gave him it, if you are a believer, it comes from God"

Did this strategic ability at 18 years old show the way for a career in which the youngster would go on to play for Southampton, Manchester United, Everton and the French national side? "Honestly no, because you can’t predict that kind of thing. I will even tell you something else: at the time, I didn’t doubt that he was capable of becoming a top player, but I did’t question his choice to leave. He was a youngster and I was a young coach. At Strasbourg, we had just been relegated and he would have made an incredible impact for us, but he took the risk to leave for England, the country where football was born, where it is most popular and where the pressure is huge. And England changed him… To see the player he has now become and to see him return to France, with Nice, it really makes me happy. It’s good for him and for the club."

"His combativeness, his defensive qualities and his eye: Morgan is a pure football strategist, concluded Furlan. I am not even talking about his technical skills, because he is very talented, but you have players in N2 who are freestylers and who can’t make it as a pro. He has always had an ability to be able to read his opponent and his teammate’s game before anybody else. And you can’t work on that. If you are an atheist, you could say that it’s nature that gave him it, if you are a believer, it comes from God. As I say so often to my players, it’s innate."

Photos: Icon Sport

* A former professional footballer, Jean-Marc Furlan (62 years old) is an experienced coach. After stints at Libourne, Troyes, Strasbourg, Nantes and Brest, he is now in charge of AJ Auxerre, who ply their trade in L2. 

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