Can Pierre Sage teach the Eagles to fly again?
Crystal Palace lost 2-3 to Ipswich on Saturday, following the sending-off of centre-back Axel Disasi in the first half.
The result leaves the Eagles 16th in the Premier League table, having lost three of their first four league matches.
Despite the result, new manager Pierre Sage focused on the positive elements of his side’s performance, as they begin to adapt to his style of football.
Sage said after the game that "It’s difficult when you play 10 v. 11. But I think we did well with that because we reorganised in a 5-3-1 and we didn’t allow them too much space."
How Do Sage Teams Play?
Pierre Sage began his managerial career with lower league French sides: Bourg-Peronnas, SO Chambery, and CS Sedan, before landing his first top flight managerial role with Lyon in November 2023.
Sage favoured either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation throughout much of his time with the Ligue 1 club, before being sacked in January 2025 and joining fellow Ligue 1 side Lens six months later.
Lens had a hugely successful 2025-26 season, finishing as runners-up to PSG in the league, and winning the Coupe de France.
While at Lens, Sage adopted the 3-4-2-1 formation that he has so far favoured at Palace.
Lens drew their creativity from their wing-backs' crosses, through balls from central midfield, and acute technical play in tight areas from their two number tens.
This highly varied attack resulted in Lens' left wing-back Matthieu Udol, right-sided number ten Florian Thauvin, and central midfielder Adrien Thomasson, all finishing the season as the club's top assisters, with ten each.
Sage's Key Creators
Udol was Sage's most used player at Lens, being played in a more advanced left wing-back position than he had been at former club FC Metz.
Sage described Udol as “someone who works incredibly hard. Someone who is giving himself the chance to live out a career no one would have imagined possible."
Sage used Florian Thauvin in a more central role at Lens than at previous club Udinese, regularly combining well with striker Odsonne Edouard.
Sage said that: "Florian Thauvin brings constant danger. This season he has pulled the team upwards. He is a leader by word and action."
The final component of Lens' key creative trio was central midfielder, Adrien Thomasson.
Thomasson, 32, registered his highest-ever assist total in a Ligue 1 season despite playing in a deeper role than he had been used in for much of his 20s.
How is Sage Shaping Crystal Palace?
Palace made the second-highest profit of any Premier League club during this summer’s transfer window, behind only Aston Villa.
Despite this, the club has been able to bring in several new first-team regulars, some of whom closely resemble the players Sage worked with at Lens.
Dwight McNeil, Palace’s most expensive signing this summer, is a left-winger who Sage may decide to move to a more central role, as he did with Thauvin last season.
Newly signed left-back Ben Chilwell fits a similar profile to Matthieu Udol at Lens.
Chilwell won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 while playing in a left wing-back position and, like Udol, has been identified by a former manager as a player with a strong work ethic.
The loss of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea has reduced Sage’s options for his back three.
This has been somewhat negated, however, by the signing of Takehiro Tomiyasu from Ajax, loan deals for centre-backs Axel Disasi from Chelsea and Honest Ahanor from Atalanta.
Who Could Star at Selhurst Park this Season?
Palace have at times this season shown signs of re-creating the patterns of play Sage enjoyed with Lens.
Tyrick Mitchell offers Sage an alternative option to Chilwell at left wing-back and has been played further forward by Sage this season than he often was under previous Palace manager Oliver Glasner.
While Mitchell’s good form meant Chilwell struggled for game time during his previous spell at Palace in 2025, the Eagles’ participation in this season’s Europa League means squad players are likely to become more important.
Alternatively, Mitchell and Chilwell could potentially be played together if one is used as a left centre-back.
Sage's potential number ten options at Palace have been limited by a groin injury to Ismaila Sarr.
In Sarr's absence, Daichi Kamada was used in a creative role against Fulham and Ipswich, and registered three assists across the two games.
The Japanese midfielder has played the most minutes of any Palace player so far this season.
England international Adam Wharton was Palace's leading creator last season with seven assists but is yet to register one so far this season.
Sage may decide to drop an attacking midfielder, such as McNeil, into a deeper position alongside Wharton, in order to provide the creativity from central midfield that Lens benefitted from last season.
How Does Sage Compare to Oliver Glasner?
Oliver Glasner also favoured a 3-4-2-1 formation throughout his time as Crystal Palace boss.
This system effectively utilised the creative skill of forwards Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, before they left the club in the 2024 and 2025 summer transfer windows respectively.
These departures forced Glasner to rebuild the team around the central midfielder pairing of Wharton and Jefferson Lerman, who finished last season as Palace's two highest assisters.
How Will Palace Fare This Season?
Sage's success at Lens proved that the French manager can quickly implement his ideas at a new team.
Palace's wins in the league and Carabao Cup this season have also been reminiscent of Sage's work in Ligue 1.
Ultimately, Palace's success this season is likely to depend on how well Sage can integrate the attacking duo of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, when the pair return from injury.
Sage will also have to negotiate a European campaign, something he has only attempted once before as a manager, and it ended with him being sacked by Lyon midway through the Europa League league phase in January 2025.
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