Crystal Palace’s heavy defeat at Brighton has increased the pressure on Pierre Sage, with Eagles fan Ollie Thomas questioning whether the manager will remain in charge.
Palace were beaten 5-0 at the weekend, a result Thomas believes exposed defensive problems that had been building across previous matches. He said the defeat could lead to changes in the team’s approach, formation and personnel, although he did not regard a change in the dugout as certain.
Thomas said he did not expect Sage to keep his position and argued that Palace were delaying an inevitable decision. He described the Eagles’ defensive record as the worst in the Premier League by a considerable distance and warned that continuing to defend in the same manner could leave the club in danger near the bottom of the table.
The fan also suggested the problems go beyond injuries. He argued that even with Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi in the starting line-up, Palace could still have conceded a similar number of chances, while describing the current defensive options as inadequate.
Axel Disasi’s red card at Brighton made the situation more difficult, but Thomas said he did not believe the defender was responsible for Palace’s wider defensive struggles. Instead, he argued that Disasi would need to become an important part of the defence this season and that his availability would give Sage more choices and the possibility of greater consistency at the back.
