Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna has admitted that their derby day victory over Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday proves how much spirit the team have and how strong their character are.
A first-half Olivier Giroud goal was enough to give Arsene Wenger’s men all three points against Spurs and the win pushed them into the top-four after their slow start to the new campaign.
Despite not starting the game due to an illness he picked up an hour before kick-off, Sagna revealed how delighted he was with the team’s performance and has admitted that the side need to show their togetherness throughout the season.
“It’s a symbol to win against the opponent, even more against Spurs,” Sagna told Arsenal Player. “First of all, it was a really important game for the league but even more for the fans and for us. It’s a derby and we always want to win.
“We were struggling because they were pushing really high up. But we showed some great character.
“We showed some togetherness and that’s what we’re going to need [throughout] the whole season. We need to stick together and until now, we’ve done it quite well.”
The Frenchman also revealed about what happened to him just hours before the game got underway.
“On the morning of the game, I got sick,” he explained. “I woke up feeling really bad so I called the doc straight away.
“During lunch, I felt sick. I went to the kitchen and didn’t finish my meal so I went back to my bed to sleep to get some power. On the way to the game, I felt sick again on the coach. I was really dehydrated and of course not ready to play.
“I wanted to try during the warm up but it was just impossible. I didn’t have any power. I was really down and for this kind of game, you have to be 100 per cent.
“We have Carl Jenkinson. He’s totally ready to play and he’s a great player so there was no point for me to push it.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
