93 passes, 100% tackle success: The unsung hero of Arsenal’s win over Marseille

Bacary Sagna

Arsenal brushed past a poor Marseille side at the Emirates on Tuesday evening to gain control of Group F and come within touching distance of the Champions League knock-out rounds.

Many of Arsenal’s players were impressive and Bacary Sagna kept up his superb season with another solid display against the French side.

Sagna was equally as important in defence as he was going forward, grabbing an assist for Jack Wilshere’s first goal and playing another key pass later on in the match. Only Mesut Ozil and Wilshere created more chances than Sagna.

The French defender was marauding up and down the right flank all night and was comfortable in possession as well.

Arsenal completed over 700 passes on the evening and Sagna was one of the stand-out players, completing 93 of his 102 (91%).

Sagna was excellent off the ball, too, winning all three of his tackles, three out of four headed duels, making two interceptions and clearing the ball three times. That meant the full-back ended the match with an 88% duel winning percentage – the best in the side to have attempted more than one duel (Mikel Arteta & Laurent Koscielny attempted and won one each).

His solid defensive performance helped Arsenal keep their second consecutive European clean sheet after their 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund recently.

It was a complete performance from Sagna who is very highly rated amongst the Arsenal faithful. His continued good form will probably earn him a new contract as talks with the club over a new deal are passing by slowly.

Sagna was constantly up and down the right wing all night. He was exceptional and offered the Arsenal midfield an option to pass to on countless occasions. His Heat Map shows just how much ground he covered down the right-hand side.

Sagna scored highly in Squawka’s Performance Score as well. He amassed 78 points and only Wilshere, who scored both of Arsenal’s goals, scored more points (79).

Sagna was fantastic for the Gunners as they pushed towards a 14th consecutive Champions League appearance in the knock-out stages. He will be equally as important when Arsenal travel to Italy to face Napoli in the final group game where the Londoners are sure to advance. The club are also sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League and, with performances like Tuesday night’s, Sagna will no doubt be a huge asset to the side in their title charge.