Bacary Sagna was without a doubt one of, if not, the best player on the field at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The French full-back filled in at centre-back after Laurent Koscielny injured himself in the warm-up, and he was an absolute warrior displaying determination, commitment and, most importantly, class.
Most Gunners fans would have probably known about Sagna’s ability to play anywhere along the back four, but many forget this talent due to his consistent starring down the right flank over the past number of seasons.
While his form has been awful at some points this campaign, he showed why he has been rated as the best right-back in the Premier League pretty much since he moved to the Emirates Stadium. Form is temporary, class is permanent I think the saying goes.
It’s been a difficult 18 months or so for Sagna, who had endured two broken legs, watched his selection for France dwindle as a result, and witness young Carl Jenkinson enjoy a storming start to the season.
As I mentioned, his form has been terrible in parts, but Saturday just showed why he is such an important player to our club, and why Arsenal should sort out his contract situation immediately.
He has just one more year left on his current deal once this campaign is up, and I would hate to see him go after such a brilliant tenure in North London.
Take a look at some of his stats from the Sunderland win.
Clearances: 14
Tackles: 1
Interceptions: 2
Aerials Won: 5
Passing Accuracy: 79%
Truly brilliant for a player who was operating out of position.
Many flocked to Twitter after the match to congratulate Sagna on his performance, and my word did he deserve it.
Matt Cotton
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