Pierre Sage attributed Crystal Palace’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle to a 15-minute lapse in focus, while maintaining that he is still the right person to guide the south London side. “We lost our concentration for 15 minutes after returning from the break,” the French coach said. “If you allow the opposition to seize control without applying pressure or responding, the situation becomes very difficult.”
Palace have allowed 19 goals across eight matches, giving them the poorest defensive record in the Premier League. That marks a sharp difference from last season, when Sage’s Lens team recorded the second-strongest defence in Ligue 1. “There are several ways to explain why we have conceded so many goals, including our playing style and the quality of our performances, particularly in defence,” Sage said.
“My philosophy is that keeping possession is the most effective form of defending.” However, only the three newly promoted teams have registered less possession than Palace. “At this level, every error and every negative moment for the team can result in a goal,” Sage said.
Palace let in two goals against Besiktas on Thursday from the only two attempts on target they faced. Newcastle repeated that pattern by converting both of their shots on target. “We gave away fewer opportunities from open play today, but that still isn’t sufficient,” the Palace manager said. “The pressure remains unchanged because I have not yet found the answer. This was not a tactical issue today; it was a psychological one. After half-time, we allowed our opponents far too much freedom. If you cannot keep the ball, you hand control of the game to the other team.”
Sage remains confident that he can turn Palace’s form around. The club sit 17th after consecutive Premier League defeats, including a 5-0 loss to rivals Brighton. He also said that, despite speaking regularly with Palace chairman Steve Parish, they have never discussed his position. “Within the club, our attention is entirely on finding answers,” Sage said. “We are working out how to improve and how to create the right conditions to compete, and we will keep moving forward with that work. Internally, there is no distraction.”
Matthias Jaissle expressed relief after overseeing Newcastle’s first victory in three matches. “It was a demanding contest, particularly during the opening half,” the German said. “We were unable to turn the intensity of our possession into the reward we wanted.
“Our work without the ball in the first half was reasonably good, but we lacked attacking intent. We improved significantly after the interval. Even when your performance in possession is not outstanding, a clean sheet remains one of football’s essential foundations.”
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