Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage is facing questions over his position, but Chris Sutton believes the criticism should be viewed in the context of the club’s current league standing. Palace sit 14th in the Premier League, one place higher than where they finished last season under Oliver Glasner.
Sutton acknowledged that last weekend’s defeat by Brighton was particularly damaging because of the rivalry between the clubs. However, he argued that Palace’s start under Sage should not be portrayed as an extreme run of poor results, with the manager not having collected only one point from his opening seven matches.
The former Palace boss has also had to deal with considerable change at Selhurst Park. Several important players have left, particularly in defence, while some of those who remain are reportedly unhappy. Sutton believes those circumstances help explain why Palace have been conceding goals.
Palace’s preparations have been further tested by their trip to Turkey on Thursday. Even so, Sutton expects the Eagles to compete strongly enough to take something from the Newcastle match.
Newcastle have experienced significant change of their own, but Sutton’s main concern is the openness of Matthias Jaissle’s team. He described their display against Aston Villa last week as chaotic, suggesting Palace could create opportunities if Newcastle fail to press effectively. Sutton does not expect the game to be dominated by the defences and believes the Eagles can cause the visitors problems.
