Pierre Sage offered a firm defence of his position after Crystal Palace’s latest defeat, insisting that his priority was helping the players improve and compete rather than responding to the uncertainty surrounding his future. He said decisions about his job belonged to the chairman and owners, describing the outside criticism as noise.
Palace have collected only seven points from their first eight Premier League matches since the end of the Oliver Glasner era. Their run began with defeats by Everton and Manchester City, followed by a victory at Fulham and a home loss to newly promoted Ipswich Town.
A goalless draw at Leeds brought Palace a clean sheet, while they then came from behind to defeat Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on 11 October. Since that win, Sage’s side have lost away to his former club Lyon in the Europa League and suffered defeat against Brighton, before drawing 2-2 with Besiktas in Istanbul on Thursday.
Patience has begun to wear thin among supporters following the most recent loss to Newcastle. Palace have also conceded 19 goals in eight league matches, leaving them with the division’s poorest defensive record.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, French football expert Julien Laurens said Sage needed to become more ruthless. Laurens described him as a kind person who can sometimes be overly accommodating, pointing to the manager’s reaction after the win at Fulham, when Palace secured their first victory of the season but Sage felt sympathy for the beaten team.
Palace travel to improving Tottenham next Saturday and then host Liverpool on 8 November before the international break. Their first match after that pause is away to fellow strugglers Coventry City on 21 November, raising the question of whether Sage will still be in charge by then.
