Arsenal star: Cazorla told me what to expect from Monreal

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
12:25 PM

Bacary Sagna admits he didn’t know much about new Arsenal team-mate Nacho Monreal when he signed from Malaga on transfer deadline day but says he has been impressed with how the Spaniard has adapted.

Left-back Monreal looked assured on his first two appearances for the Gunners, helping them keep clean sheets in consecutive 1-0 wins against Stoke City and Sunderland.

Sagna is pleased to see Monreal settle so quickly and says the 26-year-old’s former Malaga team-mate Santi Cazorla gave him the lowdown before his arrival.

“I didn’t know much about him [before he came to Arsenal],” Sagna told Arsenal Player.

“I had a chance to speak with Santi Cazorla and he talked about him. He looks good. He had a great game in his first game.

“It’s not easy because he only trained with us once before. I wouldn’t like to be in his position, but he did well.

“It was a difficult game to play in, with a lot of physicality and a lot of challenges. We won and everyone is happy.”

The Frenchman added: “As a defender, you have to run from the beginning to the end.

“When you’re a striker, you can give the maximum and maybe after 70 minutes, you will go out.

“It’s really rare for a defender to go out. You need to be at your best all of the time and you need to be competitive.”