Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage is facing growing pressure after the Eagles suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat by Brighton at the weekend, with questions now being asked about his future.
Palace fan Ollie Thomas said the result exposed defensive problems that had been building across earlier matches. In his view, the loss could force changes to the team's system, starting line-up and approach, although he does not expect those changes necessarily to begin with a managerial switch.
Thomas said he does not believe Sage will remain in the job and suggested Palace are only postponing an eventual decision. He also described the Eagles as, statistically, the Premier League's worst defensive side by a considerable distance, warning that continuing to defend in the same manner could leave them in serious trouble by the end of the season.
The supporter argued that the problems go beyond the absence of individual defenders. He believes Palace could still have conceded a similar number of chances even with Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi in the starting XI, while the available defensive options have been weakened further by Axel Disasi's red card.
Despite criticism directed at Disasi, Thomas believes the defender should remain an important part of Palace's plans. He said Disasi will need to become a central figure in the defence and that his return gives Sage more scope to establish greater consistency in the back line.
Thomas's assessment is that Palace must find a way to improve their structure and defensive reliability quickly, with the Brighton defeat intensifying the debate over both Sage's position and the team's tactical set-up.
