But Sagna is good, and it’s true that he’s the reason we’re better defensively this season. He’s solid and consistent.

Hopefully, in 2-3 year’s time, he will develop his “final ball” and truly take his place amongst the world’s best. Too often, his blistering forays into the opposition defense amount to nothing because his crosses tend to balloon and he often makes the wrong pass when he plays it along the ground. He’s a great dribbler and he has the ability to penetrate the box but rarely cuts inside toward the box.

The good news is that he is clearly improving. In the last month or so, his crosses have been better. He hit Ade in the Fulham match and delivered a good ball for Ade again versus Man City (which was subsequently nodded back for Dudu’s goal). He has also gotten off a few shots recently that have tested the keeper.

When you watch guys like Evra or Danny Alves (on the other side) attack, you can see that Gael is just 1 or 2 years from being truly world class. But in fairness to Gael, I think he’s a better 1 v 1 defender than either of those 2.