Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage is facing a fight to keep his job, with the Frenchman given more time for now but under serious pressure following Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing at Brighton.
Pierre Sage (Credits: BBC Sport)
Sage, who joined Palace on a three-year deal in June after Oliver Glasner departed, has won just two of his opening seven Premier League games. His side has conceded 17 goals — the most in the division — and on current trajectory is on course to ship a staggering 92 goals this season.
Sympathy for a Difficult Hand — But the Numbers Are Dire
There is sympathy behind the scenes at Selhurst Park that the 47-year-old has been dealt a tough hand. Injuries have been unkind, and the absence of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr — both keen to leave the club — has hampered his start.
The squad that delivered Palace’s first major trophies — the FA Cup in 2025 and last season’s Europa Conference League title — has been broken up. Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Maxence Lacroix, Daniel Munoz and Marc Guehi have all left since the summer of 2024, while influential sporting director Dougie Freedman departed in 2025.
A Defensive Collapse of Sage’s Own Making?
Yet the defensive numbers point to problems partly of Sage’s own making. Palace’s recent success was built on defensive stability under Glasner and Roy Hodgson; conceding nearly 2.5 goals per game is worlds away from that DNA. The three centre-backs who started the Brighton defeat included 20-year-old Jaydee Canvot and 18-year-old Honest Ahanor — an impossibly young back line.
Summer recruitment has drawn criticism from sections of supporters: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben Chilwell and Oscar Mingueza arrived on free transfers, with Axel Disasi and Ahanor joining on loan. Financially, Palace were hampered by UEFA compliance issues — the £22m sale of Munoz to Nottingham Forest was driven by those pressures.
Besiktas and Newcastle Loom Large
Chairman Steve Parish is not known for impulsive decisions — he held firm even when Glasner publicly accused the board of “abandoning” the team over Guehi’s sale to Manchester City. But some figures close to the club believe the writing is already on the wall for Sage, with the club struggling to land first-choice managerial targets after failing to appoint Andoni Iraola in the summer.
With Besiktas and Newcastle up next, this week could decide the Frenchman’s fate.
Also Read: Diego Gomez Scores Extraordinary 51-Metre Halfway-Line Goal as Brighton Put Five Past Palace
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
