'De Zerbi makes you suffer' - Former Man City and Arsenal star warns Liverpool ahead of Brighton

Former Arsenal and Manchester City right back Bacary Sagna has praised the impact that Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has had on the club since being appointed.

Sagna, who played under De Zerbi for half a season towards the end of his career with Italian side Benevento explained to www.lordping.co.uk what he was like as a manager.

He said: "I’m not surprised by the impact he’s had. When I went to Italy I didn’t know him, I spoke with the Benevento president about him, but he wasn’t really on my radar. He immediately impressed me on the training ground with the passion that he showed and how he communicated with his players. He was always trying to get the players to enjoy their football and what it meant to be a professional footballer. He really lived for football and he wanted his players to have that same enthusiasm for playing in the right way. Being on the training pitch for him wasn’t just about giving his players instructions, he really enjoyed every single moment and he transmitted this to his players. He gives players the confidence to play in the right way, to make the opposition suffer."

Sagna praised the way that the Italian plays football and believes that he has made a connection with his Brighton players in a short time, enabling them to play attacking football like Manchester City and Arsenal. He said: "He encouraged his players to take risks on the ball, to keep the ball. As a player, you want to have a natural trust with your manager and he managed to create that connection with his players and to give them the confidence to play attacking football like Manchester City or Arsenal. He’s made the Brighton players realise that they play in the Premier League for a reason."

When looking ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixtures, Sagna labelled Brighton's fixture against Liverpool as a "real test" for the Merseyside giants and claims that it will be a "tricky game" for them.

He said: "I think this is a real test for Liverpool. All of the pressure will be on Liverpool for this game because now they have to show a different face if they have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League. They need to try and get back to the Liverpool that we have seen from the last few seasons. It will be a difficult game because De Zerbi will approach this match with the belief that his players can beat Liverpool. We mustn’t forget that despite Liverpool’s form this season, they have some amazing players. I think this will be a very tricky game for Liverpool. All of the pressure is on them and they really need to win this game. If they lose, I think a lot of people will write them off for the Champions League spots."