Once again, the main talking point coming out of a Crystal Palace game in the Premier League is the defensive struggles.
Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Ipswich Town was another example, as goals from Emersson, Leif Davis, and an added-time strike from Zian Flemming earned the Tractor Boys a first-ever top-flight win at Selhurst Park.
This was despite Anan Khalaili giving Pierre Sage’s side the lead in the 14th minute, and Jørgen Strand Larsen levelling the match at 2-2 with 15 minutes remaining.
It’s the first time that Crystal Palace have lost their first two home games of the Premier League season since the 2018/19 season.
They also have just four points after four league matches, a total they’ve not had that low since 2022/23.
To credit the Eagles, the style of play from Sage is not stale and boring, far from it. As of September 13th, they’ve created the second-most big chances in the league after four matchweeks with 14; however, they have missed 11 of those chances, a joint high in the Premier League.
Efficiency has been an issue, but the far more glaring one comes further back in the defence. Palace have conceded 11 goals so far this season, with seven of those coming at Selhurst Park, already 48% towards the 23 goals that they let in at home last season.
When asked about Palace’s continuing habit of conceding goals, Sage agreed that it was happening too often.
“Yes, it is too many goals conceded. I am aware of that. I think today we conceded fewer chances for the opponent, but they were really efficient.
“What is important to know, and we saw the same thing, is that we conceded the same goals three times: a cross and a ball not won in our box.
“That is why we have to work on that, because now we close the play inside, but we have to prevent the crosses and win the ball in the box.”
One factor that does not help either Sage or Palace is that he has not managed to field the same back three in consecutive Premier League games so far this season; Chris Richards is the only player to have started all of those matches.
Now that is for different reasons: Chadi Riad suffered an ACL in the opening-day defeat to Everton, Jaydee Canvot was missing from the matchday squad, and Axel Disasi’s first-half red card means that Sage will have to make personnel changes once more ahead of the trip to Leeds next weekend.
There was surprise at Canvot’s absence pre-match, with Sage originally just describing it as a “sporting decision”; however, the Frenchman went into more detail post-match as to why he made the decision.
“It was a sporting decision, but I have to be honest with you, I did not take him in the team because of his game at Fulham and what he did during the week.
“I spoke with him. I want more from him; I need more from him.
“I am sure he is able to do it, and I wait for a good reaction on his part from Monday.
It’s not the first time that Sage has used the term “sporting decisions” this season, having left both Dwight McNeil and Evann Guessand out of the matchday squad for the win over Fulham.
Both returned for the Carabao Cup win over Middlesbrough, and McNeil also made the bench against Ipswich, while Guessand did not.
Sage admitted that leaving a player out of the matchday squad was not something he enjoyed doing, but felt it was something that needed to be done for the sake of the team.
“When I put 11 players on the pitch, in my head it is the best team of the moment to win or to create something.
“It is not a pleasure to put out a player, to not take him in the team, to not take him in the group. I always wait for a reaction from them.
“Today, I did not see a team on the pitch who gave up. I saw players at 100%, maybe more, of what they have to do. They gave their best.
“I think the mentality is here, and I have to protect that. That is why, when I think some players are not at the best level of my demands, I take this kind of decision.”
“The most important thing is to have the player at his best level. I think some of them are able to do more. That is why I take this kind of decision.”
Sage also admitted that Palace needed to keep playing to improve at the back
"We have to continue [with changing] because of the red card. We need stability; we need stability with a lot of games.
"That is why we need rotations for freshness, but I have to find the best balance at the moment and just have some little rotations to be more balanced than we are."
Things are going to take time to click for Sage, especially with two centre-backs in Disasi and Honest Ahanor coming into the club after the season had begun. Attention now turns to Europa, as Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park to face Poland’s Lech Poznan in the Eagles' first game in the UEFA Europa League.
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