Crystal Palace recently named Pierre Sage as their new head coach on a three-year contract.
He takes over from Oliver Glasner, who left the south London club at the end of the 2025/26 season.
In this article, we look at the implications of Sage’s appointment from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
CAREER SO FAR
The 47-year-old Frenchman has accumulated over 20 years of experience in various football roles, yet his first foray into top-level management didn’t arrive until November 2023.
Promoted to manager at Lyon when Fabio Grosso was sacked, he took over a club which was bottom of the table with only seven points.
However, under his leadership, Lyon produced 15 wins in their next 20 league matches, thereby securing qualification to the UEFA Europa League. They reached the Coupe de France final, too, where they lost 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain.
Sage remained at Lyon until January 2025, when he was dismissed. At that point, Lyon were sixth in the table.
In 2025/26, his only season at RC Lens, he became Ligue 1’s Manager of the Year, leading them to a superb second-place finish and the first Coupe de France triumph in the club’s history.
Image from TNT Sports
Sage has now joined Palace, of course, where he will put his skills to the test in the Premier League.
IN QUOTES
“Oliver Glasner achieved some amazing things, and now I have to do the same. That’s why we come here with a lot of ambition. The dynamic here is really positive, and we are in this mindset too. We won last year – and we want to continue in this way, in a new club, a new project, but with a lot of winning habits.” – Pierre Sage
“I am tremendously excited to welcome Pierre, who joins us off the back of a trophy-winning season at Lens as well as a fabulous second-place finish in Ligue 1. As we move into another European campaign off the back of our success in Leipzig, I know he will give everything to target more success for our fantastic Football Club.” – Chairman Steve Parish on Pierre Sage
SAGE’S IN-TRAY
Sage inherits a decent Palace squad, yet they require further depth as they prepare to compete in the UEFA Europa League for the first time.
Up until mid-December last season, Palace were doing extremely well under Glasner, suffering only three defeats in 15 Premier League matches. However, as fixture congestion set in, it quickly became apparent that they lacked the depth required to perform on multiple fronts.
Oscar Mingueza, a versatile defender who can play anywhere across the backline, has already joined, with further additions expected in the coming weeks.
Holding onto key players such as Maxence Lacroix, Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta feels equally important.
Away from squad depth, after last year’s 15th-place finish in the Premier League, there is work to do on the training pitch.
Glasner’s Palace notably struggled to break down teams last season, particularly on home turf, which is captured below:
They scored just 41 goals overall, which was fewer than every other team apart from relegated duo Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Based on the underlying expected numbers, they should have scored 17 more goals than they did, indicating a much greater need for ruthlessness and composure in front of goal.
Above: Palace were the biggest xG underperformers in the Premier League last season
Mateta and Yeremy Pino were the chief culprits, each netting 2.51 fewer goals than expected.
Defensively, there were no such issues: Palace ranked joint-eighth for actual goals conceded (51) and seventh for expected goals conceded (xGC, 51.89), so it’s very much the attack which needs a boost.
PREFERRED TACTICS/PLAYING STYLE
Below is an overview of what to expect from Sage tactically.
- A 3-4-2-1 formation, which has obvious similarities to Glasner’s set-up.
- Sage likes his teams to press high up the pitch and attack quickly once the ball is won back. Indeed, Lens ranked first for counter-attack goals in Ligue 1 last season.
- Attack-minded wing-backs who sit deep without the ball, but quickly join the attack when in possession. Left wing-back Matthieu Udol produced seven league assists in 2025/26, ranking 11th among all Ligue 1 players for key passes (55).
- Two No 10s who play close to the striker, with lots of fluidity in the final third. The main attacking midfielders, Wesley Said and Florian Thauvin, plus centre-forward Odsonne Edouard, all scored 10+ goals last season:
Image from WhoScored
- Lens ranked eighth for possession in Ligue 1 (50.7%), so they are equally comfortable with and without the ball.
- They were particularly strong from set-pieces, scoring 13 times. They also ranked first for crosses.
- Lens also placed first for tackles (637) and interceptions (362), and fifth for blocks (120), which could be good news for Palace’s defensive contribution (DefCon) prospects.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sage, on paper at least, feels like a good fit for Palace, given the similarities to Glasner’s system.
The squad absolutely needs more depth, given their involvement in Europe, but there is clear potential for some of their FPL assets to deliver.
Even if Lacroix leaves, other DefCon defenders such as Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards and Chadi Riad could still provide value.
As for Daniel Munoz, he could be incredibly effective as a wing-back in Sage’s 3-4-2-1, due to his ability to supply both defensive and attacking returns.
Further forward, Wharton – a potential cheap enabler on set plays? – and Ismaila Sarr are names to look out for, particularly if Sage can sharpen up Palace’s finishing. Sarr netted 21 goals across all competitions last term, despite heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In terms of fixtures, Palace open up the new campaign away to Everton, before the visit of Manchester City a week later.
A decent run follows, however, with Palace top of the ticker in Gameweeks 3-8, which feels like the ideal entry point.
The pre-season friendlies, including the Como Cup tournament, will allow Sage to test out his ideas and hopefully offer clues as to who could thrive in FPL.
