Crystal Palace weigh sacking of Pierre Sage after 3-1 home defeat; Thomas Frank among candidates
Crystal Palace are assessing manager Pierre Sage's future after Sunday's 3-1 Premier League defeat by Liverpool at Selhurst Park, which left the club bottom of the table going into the international break. The result was Palace's fourth straight league loss and has prompted internal discussions about replacing Sage.
Sage's side have won only two of their 10 league matches this season and have taken seven points from those games, prompting the club to hold internal talks about his future and possible successors. Former Tottenham and Brentford manager Thomas Frank is regarded internally as a strong candidate, with ex-Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche also receiving some support; both men are out of work and would reportedly be available to start immediately. Sage was appointed in June on a three-year contract after Oliver Glasner departed at the end of last season.
Sunday's defeat at Selhurst Park included a disallowed goal for Palace and an effort that struck the bar, but the team still fell 3-1 to Liverpool, extending a losing sequence that began with a 5-0 loss to Brighton. Palace have now failed to win in the league since 11 October, a run that has intensified scrutiny of Sage's tenure. The match represented the fourth consecutive league defeat under his management.
Defensively, Palace have conceded 24 goals in their 10 league fixtures, leaving them with the worst defensive record in the division to date. Those conceded goals have contributed directly to the team having only seven points from 10 matches. Club officials have cited results and defensive issues as central to their internal evaluation.
In European competition this season Palace sit 21st in the Europa League standings, a position described as currently sufficient for a play-off spot, with only one victory from their four matches. That European form has not offset the club's domestic troubles and has been factored into the club's wider assessment of performance across competitions.
Injuries and absences have been raised internally as complicating factors for Sage, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr missing matches because of a mixture of fitness and personal issues, related to both players' desire to leave the club. Sage's prior achievements were noted in contrast: he previously led Lens to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 and to the club's first French Cup triumph, while Oliver Glasner, who now manages Nottingham Forest, had led Palace to a first FA Cup title and a Europa Conference League triumph.
Sage, 47, addressed the situation after the Liverpool defeat, saying: "It's not from the dream to the nightmare. I'm not feeling this. I'm just in my job, and focusing on my job, and what I have to do to find the solution." He added: "The results are not at this level, and I know I have to push more on those things, especially in our way of playing, to make that move." After the 5-0 loss to Brighton he said he felt "shame" and admitted he did not know if he would be given time to turn Palace's fortunes around; following Sunday he also said: "We have to be more competitive. At the moment, we create some things, we expect a lot of things, but we don't have the results expected."
If the club were to dismiss Sage he could become the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season; Palace's next fixture is away to Coventry on 21 November following the two-week international break.
