Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage held a pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Manchester City. Sage provided updates on Amin Sarr, Shadi Riad, and new signing Disasi, and discussed Mateta's future and external interest in Sarr. He also addressed the team's reaction to the Everton defeat, the challenge posed by Haaland and Manchester City, and his first official match in charge at Selhurst Park. Sage spoke about managing players during the transfer window, the stylistic differences between Cherki, Maresca, and Guardiola, and the atmosphere he expects on Friday night.

How are Amin Sarr and Shadi Riad recovering?

Amin Sarr is continuing individual training because his groin injury is very painful, so he didn't train with the squad today. We will prepare him according to his recovery progress. I initially thought he would recover faster, but at the end of the day I'm not a doctor, so I can only wait and help him get ready to return to the team.

What's the situation with Riad? Have the scan results come back? Any updates?

At the moment, we still need a specialist opinion because this type of injury is difficult to give an accurate recovery timeline for. So I prefer to wait first, and then announce the official conclusion to everyone.

Is there any chance Sarr plays in Friday's match against Manchester City?

Sarr? No, it's impossible.

Pierre, what new insights have you gained about the team in recent days? The team lost your first match against Everton. How do you feel now? What have you learned?

The players are very frustrated, and I understand that. They clearly know what happened in the match, especially because everyone felt we should have scored in the first half. If we had, the match could have unfolded differently. But football isn't just about whether you deserve to win or deserve to score; you have to convert chances into goals. Football ultimately comes down to efficiency, and we weren't efficient enough then. That's the result of the match. We need to improve our ability to create chances and our ability to finish those chances, so things can improve.

You've mentioned repeatedly in recent weeks that Crystal Palace's fans were an important reason for your decision to join the club. How much are you looking forward to your first official match at Selhurst Park?

I think it will be a special moment, but I'd prefer to enjoy that special moment at the end of the match with good news. So in this situation, I won't be thinking about myself. What matters most is the team and the result, because we've been preparing for this all week, hoping to make the fans happy. Of course, they'll be happy to see us, but I think they'd prefer to see us win.

We spoke about Disasi last week, and now the signing has been officially confirmed. Why did you decide to sign him?

Now it's all official, which is good news for us, especially considering Shadi Riad's injury. That's exactly the reason we signed him. He came to the team quickly, though we had to wait some time before that, because as I said, the negotiations were difficult. Finally, we reached an agreement with him personally and with his club. So now he's ready and completed his first training session after joining today. We'll see if he can play, because he hasn't featured in an official match at the start of the season. But he's a footballer and knows what his responsibilities are. We have the opportunity to give him time and help him integrate into the team.

What qualities do you like about him?

Many. First, he can provide stability and help the team in this position, because we had injuries and wanted to bring in a player. So perhaps we might need to bring in another player in this position. But as for Disasi, we'll continue to assess. He can give us confidence and brings experience. He has the ability to play the ball out and can play in different defensive positions in a three-centre-back system. So for us, he's a good choice.

In recent months, there's been a lot of speculation about Mateta and this club. Obviously, his failed move to AC Milan in January was widely reported. The BBC also reported this weekend that they questioned the validity of his contract. I know Crystal Palace recognises this contract and he's currently an officially registered player. But have you spoken with him? Is he happy? How do you see his situation?

I speak with him every day. In front of me, he's a fun person who's happy to be here. He gives everything in every training session. I don't see any problem between him and the club or us. So in the last match, he started. You can imagine if we had a problem with him, he wouldn't be in the starting lineup. Now there's only one issue that needs resolving, but to be more specific, it could be a personal matter for him, not a problem as a player.

Is it easy to manage a situation like this?

Obviously he hasn't refused to play, and he played last weekend, and he's always been under contract with Crystal Palace. But it's clear that some things are still happening in the background.

How should this situation be handled? Do you want him to stay after the transfer window closes?

I believe he will stay. As I said, he acts like someone who's happy here, wants to stay here, and is ready to play the whole season for the team. So I understand your question, but I have no doubts about it.

I have a similar question about Amin Sarr. Just before we started the interview, there were reports that Liverpool are very interested in him. When that happens, is it inevitably difficult to keep him when a big club like Liverpool is pursuing him?

I also understand that for anyone receiving that kind of attention, it's difficult because you have doubts. But currently, he's still with us and still has a contract. As I said, he's injured now, and you could link his injury to the current situation, but in my view, that's honest, and I have no problem with that. I spoke with him about this yesterday and this morning. We just hope he can get back on the pitch, and let others handle the rest.

I'm not going to list all these different names one by one, but will it be difficult to hold onto these good players you have?

As I just mentioned, Sarr and Mateta have received clear and specific attention, and I know other clubs are interested in other players too.

Do you anticipate that Crystal Palace could lose some of these players and will need to bring in replacements?

That's how football is now. We know that when the transfer window opens, there will be lots of noise and various things surrounding the players. Some players aren't used to this situation, and neither are their agents and families. So when you're inside the club, this isn't a particularly pleasant period. But once the transfer window closes, we just have to focus on our performance and wait for all this to end.

Traducido por IA.

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