Sagna enjoys proving doubters wrong

12 December 2009 13:21
The right-back, 26, joined the Gunners two and a half years ago from Auxerre, where he had won the French Cup in 2005, and quickly established himself in Arsene Wenger's first XI.[LNB]Despite now being a regular in the France team, playing in both legs of Les Bleus' controversial World Cup play-off win over Republic of Ireland, Sagna admits he has endured a frosty relationship with the media in his homeland - many of whom felt his talent would have been better served developing in Ligue 1.[LNB]"It is as if they are upset that some of us left the country, which is quite crazy. They have made us out to be silly boys who wanted to leave early and that is bad," Sagna said in the December issue of the official Arsenal magazine.[LNB]"They want us to stay in the French championship and play there until 25 and then move.[LNB]"I know what they said about me when I left. They said I would be on the bench that I would not play in Arsenal's team.[LNB]"But what should I have done? I was playing for Auxerre and then Arsenal, the biggest team in Europe, called me - but still I am expected to stay in France.[LNB]"I am not that crazy though, and I am not scared about trying anything in my life, I am happy with how it has worked out."[LNB]Sagna added: "The newspapers and radio were talking about me in front of everyone and I didn't understand why.[LNB]"I preferred to try to improve by playing in a better team rather than by staying at a smaller one, even if I was sure to play.[LNB]"It was about improving your job - something that everyone can relate to. But they wanted to put me down - I have shown them what I can do, though, and I will show more again."[LNB]Sagna - who signed a contract extension at the start of last season - is in no doubt to whom a great deal of the credit for his development must go.[LNB]"The manager knows our characters and how to take the very maximum from players," Sagna said.[LNB]"He is aware of each and every personality in the team, and how to talk to different players - maybe some players are more sensitive and others need more motivation. The manager knows which is which.[LNB]"The thing about the manager is he is very human - knows that to be a footballer is difficult, even if it is still the best job in the world.[LNB]"Sometimes it is hard and you feel less confident on the pitch, but he knows how to give you that confidence back. Players can improve a lot as people too under him."[LNB]Arsenal - who have a game in hand over leaders Chelsea - head to Liverpool tomorrow looking to maintain their place in the top four.[LNB]Wenger has deployed a new, fluid three-man midfield this season, which has meant a slight change in tactics for Sagna, so often a threat overlapping down the right.[LNB]"The team set-up has altered and as full-backs we have to defend more than we did before," he said.[LNB]"We have different players in front of us, so we have to adapt and defend first.[LNB]"Often you are two against one when the opponents attack, so you have to adapt and deal with it - we work on it in training and keep going.[LNB]"It is a new system for me, but it is a good one - we are free to play the game our way and we look very dangerous against everyone."[LNB]Arsenal have lost four league matches, while Liverpool have been beaten five times and another defeat tomorrow, for either side, would further dent their title aspirations.[LNB]Wenger, though, insists there is plenty left to play for - regardless of the result at Anfield, which last season saw an entertaining 4-4 draw with Andrey Arshavin netting all the Gunners' goals.[LNB]"For us, it is a good opportunity to bounce back to a strong position in the league," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.[LNB]"We know these games are always very heated, very electric, but they are always quality matches."[LNB]The Arsenal manager added: "It is game on - let's focus on our own performances, which is the most important.[LNB]"We have a run of matches now where we want to show we can come back to win, then win again."[LNB][LNB]

Source: Team_Talk