Pierre Sage is under mounting pressure at Crystal Palace and could be the first manager to be sacked in the Premier League this season. 

Palace needed a response after a 5-0 battering at the Amex last weekend, and they got some form of one in midweek at Beşiktaş, however the same issues arose at home to Newcastle, where Palace lost 2-0 despite being on top in the first half. 

The visit of a side who had conceded eight goals in their previous two away games was one which offered a chance for Palace to get back to winning ways. Had they come out on top, it would have been the first time they’d won back-to-back Premier League games at Selhurst Park in eighteen months. 

Whilst it can be easy to simply look at the results and Palace’s record so far this season and point fingers at the manager, there is a strong sense that Pierre Sage was set up to fail. 

Palace completely failed to replace Maxence Lacroix after he was sold to Chelsea, opting for one of the London club’s defenders who had been banished to train with the academy sides. 

Palace fans weren't necessarily expecting the club to replace Lacroix with a player of the same quality, that's now how the process works. But they will have been hoping for something better, more ambitious. 

The disruption caused by the World Cup in the summer has also played its role, as has playing every three days. Sage has essentially never had enough time on the training ground with his side. As a result, the games have had to act as time for the game plan to settle in, but when points are up for grabs and results matter dearly, that doesn’t work. 

The players have been inconsistent too, and the lack of Dean Henderson has been felt immensely, with very little in terms of leadership amongst those on the pitch. 

Individual mistakes have been costly, as have missed chances, where Palace have dominated in multiple halves but completely failed to capitalise, including in the defeat to Newcastle. 

Playing a side who had conceded eight in their two previous away games, Palace barely laid a glove, only forcing saves from Hornicek from long distance efforts. 

By no means have the players given up on their coach, but the results and performances are simply not good enough, and when you’re playing Premier League football, there isn’t time for that to happen. 

There is no doubt that there have been improvements in certain games and performances on the whole. However, it’s simply unsustainable to have consistent periods in games where your players collapse and throw the result. 

It happened at the Amex within ten minutes, and again against Newcastle in the first ten of the second half. Palace played well in the first forty five minutes, dominating but unable to find a goal, as they had done in Istanbul last week too. 

However, the individual errors and lack of conviction going forward have been costly. Palace were the better side for the majority of the game against Newcastle, but lost 2-0 whilst conceding to their only shots on target in the game. 

When that happens, there is little the manager can do, but ultimately when results aren’t going well, the blame falls to the man in charge. 

Palace now sit just one place above the bottom three after eight games, with the worst goal difference in the division. 

There’s an overall feeling that whatever Palace do well, they do two things badly to match. 

Many fans have expressed frustration with the lack of change for the system despite the results and performances, but that isn’t necessarily true. Sage changed the formation when out of possession from a 5-2-3, to a 5-3-2, and when that didn’t work, a 5-4-1. 

It’s hard to feel that had he been backed with sufficient signings in the summer, especially defensively, that things wouldn’t be very different. Unfortunately for Sage, the players haven’t adapted, and it feels like no matter what he does, they just can’t stop conceding soft goals. 

This could come down to a mentality issue for Palace. The ways their heads drop after conceding is a huge worry, and whilst they’ve battled back to win from behind a few times this season, in the last two Premier League games they’ve conceded 2 or more goals within a ten minute spell, which points to a significant issue within the squad. 

Sage has finally been able to settle on a back five with Disasi returning from suspension, but there have been other players that are seemingly untouchable despite poor performances. The board’s supposed reaction to Jaydee Canvot being dropped has undoubtedly impacted the confidence with which Sage can chop and change things. 

Based on performances, Adam Wharton should likely be dropped to the bench. But after his reaction to Canvot’s absence, it’s unlikely that Steve Parish would be pleased to see a ‘valuable asset’, as Parish clearly sees the players drop out. He was reportedly unhappy when Wharton was withdrawn in a recent Premier League game. 

Whether that is impacting Sage is unknown, but it could be a factor. 

Ultimately, when a manager loses his job, it is very rarely as simply as that being the only issue at the club. That’s no different to Palace, but they simply cannot afford to continue shipping two goals every game. That form would get them relegated, especially when they’re unable to find the back of the net at the other end of the pitch.