Crystal Palace make Pierre Sage 'decision' as 'major problems' emerge

Crystal Palace are planning to stick with Pierre Sage despite a slow start to the season but must see evidence of improvements.

The Eagles fell to a late 3-2 defeat against Ipswich Town on Saturday, and have now conceded 11 goals in four Premier League games, the most of any club so far.

Those defensive frailties could quickly become a "major concern" at Selhurst Park despite acklowledging that the new arrivals will take time to gel together.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Sage has the backing of the Crystal Palace board but will not go without criticism if their slow start continues.

Crystal Palace lost Maxence Lacroix during the summer, a key part of their defensive structure, and brought in Axel Disasi and Honest Ahanor on loan to replace him.

The club have been heavily criticised for their activity in that department, despite what was a strong window, but it will be Sage who bares the brunt of the critcism.

Are Crystal Palace concerned about Pierre Sage?

Brown told Football Insider on 8 September that Sage must ignore the noise from outside Crystal Palace and continue with his job as he retains the support from the board.

The club recognise that this will be a transitional period with changes on and off the pitch, but there is also added expectation on the boss given the club's recent success.

Alongside the added pressure of expectation, the Eagles' early-season defensive issues have been flagged as a concern that must be resolved quickly.

"I don't think Crystal Palace will be particularly worried at the moment," Brown told Football Insider.

"It was a good win against Fulham, they played well going forward, and there are plenty of positives for them to build on even from the games they've lost this season.

"But you've said about how poor they have been defensively, and that is something that has got to change.

"I sound like a bit of a dinosaur when I say this, but in my experience, no team can ever be successful if they are not built on a solid and stable defensive structure.

"So if you're going into every game conceding two, three, four goals then you're going to be in trouble and that should be a major concern.

"At the moment, they've got time to resolve these issues and that's something the manager will be working on in training, I have no doubt, but those changes need to happen soon.

"From the club's point of view, they need to see progress being made towards fixing the problems, and that should come over the next few weeks.

"If they keep conceding goals, though, and they don't look like putting a stop to it, that's when they might have a decision to make."

Why has Sage's start to the season been difficult?

Crystal Palace's slow start under Sage looks concerning at first glance, but there are a number of contributing factors which have proved problematic for the boss.

The Eagles had 12 players representing their countries at the World Cup, the third-most of any Premier League club, and those players had limited involvement in pre-season.

Meanwhile, issues in the transfer window have led to concerns behind the scenes, with Lacroix's exit coming as a blow while other players had their eyes set on leaving.

Ismaila Sarr missed out on a late move to Liverpool, while Jean-Philippe Mateta saw an offer from Aston Villa rejected, further complicating Palace's plans.

Brown told Football Insider that Sarr must now return to training, having not been involved with the first team, as issues continue to pile up for Sage.