Manchester City 2014/15 Player Ratings: Bacary Sagna

Bacary Sagna (16 total appearances): 6/10

Bacary Sagna was an outstanding defender at Arsenal for seven years, but he rode the pine for the vast majority of his first season at City. The steady Pablo Zabaleta anchors the right-fullback position and was preferred to Sagna by boss Manuel Pellegrini this season. Sagna joined the Citizens on a free transfer and signed a three-year deal with the club, but he only managed 16 appearances this season, nine of which came in the Premier League. Zabaleta, meanwhile, made 29 domestic league appearances, logging nearly 3.5 times as many minutes of league play as Sagna. More time equals more opportunities to be a difference-maker on the pitch, and Sagna found himself in the dugout with Pellegrini and company on a number of occasions.

Perhaps that is why it is difficult to give Sagna a rating higher than 6/10. He simply did not see enough of the field. Sagna is just 32 years old and clearly still has quite a bit left in the tank, but his inability to break into the starting XI will remain a major question mark moving forward.

That said, he looked like the Sagna of old when he did play this season, even when thrust into the lineup for the second leg of City's round of 16 clash with Barcelona in the Champions League. While we cannot turn to goals or assists to evaluate Sagna's on-field production, we can use the eye test. Against Barça, Sagna was tasked with marking one of the most technically gifted attackers in the world in Neymar. The Frenchman put in a 90-minute shift and turned in an impressive performance.

While we know he is a solid defender when facing forwards or wingers in one-on-one situations, it is also important to remember the diversity of his skill set. Sagna is capable of winning aerial duels (averages 4.3 aerial duels won per game, highest average on the team) and is calm in possession. He is capable of running the flanks and whipping dangerous balls into the area (or even simply winning free kicks in dangerous areas). The problem for City fans in terms of evaluating Sagna's season is that we only have a small sample size from which we can draw. He obviously looks capable handling of a bigger workload, but he is the second choice at his position for the time being.

Sagna is a quality defender who is stuck in limbo right now, but he is certainly not the only ex-Gunner on the City roster scratching and clawing for increased minutes.