Auxerre safe with Sagna

By Matthew Spiro

AJ Auxerre defender Bacary Sagna is finding it hard to believe that he will play in a UEFA Cup quarter-final against PFC CSKA Moscow in Russia on Thursday.

International recognition
This time last season Sagna was playing for the Auxerre reserves in the CFA, France's equivalent of the fourth division. But he has not missed a game for the club since he made his Ligue 1 debut against SC Bastia in September. Sagna's dynamic performances at right-back have seen him emerge as one of the key players in Guy Roux's young team, as well as earning him international recognition with France Under-21s.

Pinch me
"It's all happened so quickly I have to pinch myself when people remind me that I'm going to play in a UEFA Cup quarter-final," Sagna told uefa.com. "This season has been a dream come true. I've come so far so quickly, but I'm not going to get complacent because I know I could go the other way just as fast."

Summer promotion
Sagna was one of a host of young players promoted to the first-team squad last summer, as Auxerre's veteran coach tried to compensate for the departures of four French internationals. "I was asked to go on a summer training camp in Switzerland," Sagna recalled. "After one session, Guy Roux took us all to one side and said that we were the 25 players he was showing confidence in. He told us that all 25 of us would be used this season and that he believed in us and was counting on us."

Radet injury
The 22-year-old did not let his coach down when he received his first chance following an injury to regular right-back Johan Radet. Part of the Auxerre set-up since 1996, Radet is now fit again but cannot dislodge Sagna from the team and looks set to leave when his contract expires in the summer.

'A real character'
Roux has a reputation for nurturing young talent, and the emergence of Sagna - as well as two other former youth-team defenders Jean-Pascal Mignot and Younes Kaboul - suggest the 66-year-old has not lost the knack. Sagna recognises his fortune at playing for such a wily coach. "People sometimes laugh at Guy Roux because he's a real character and he comes up with funny comments, but more than anything he's an outstanding coach," Sagna said.

'A brilliant signing'
He added: "I'm lucky to be playing for him. There are so many young players who have thrived under Guy Roux in the past. He gives us confidence." Sagna is also keen to point out that, as well as developing young talent, Roux has an outstanding record in the transfer market. "The coach has a gift for discovering talent overseas," he said. "For example, René Bolf has been a brilliant signing for us. He's experienced and has lots of composure. He helped me a lot at the beginning when I was quite nervous."

Key figure
However, injury has ruled the Czech international out of the first game in Moscow as CSKA look to overcome French opposition again, having already done the double over Paris Saint-Germain FC in the UEFA Champions League this season.

European experience
For Sagna, the learning experience is set to continue. "Playing in Europe is so different," he observed. "It demands a different concentration altogether because you know that even the slightest mistake could prove fatal. But it's definitely helping my progress and it's helping me to become better known." If Sagna continues to progress at his current rate, Roux will struggle to keep his latest find a secret for much longer.