Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage held a pre-match press conference ahead of Crystal Palace vs Manchester City in the Premier League. Sage provided updates on Amine Sarr, Chadi Riad, and new signing Disasi, and discussed the future of Mateta and external interest in Sarr. He also addressed the team's reaction to the loss against Everton, the challenge posed by Haaland and Manchester City under Enzo Guardiola, and his first official match as manager at Selhurst Park. Sage also touched on player management during the transfer window, differences between Cherki, Maresca, and Guardiola, and his hopes for the atmosphere on Friday night.

How is Amine Sarr's recovery progressing, and what about Chadi Riad?

Amine Sarr is still doing individual training because his groin injury is very painful, so he didn't train with the team today. However, we will prepare him according to his recovery progress. Initially I thought he would recover faster, but I'm not a doctor, so I can only wait and help him get ready to rejoin the team.

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

Currently, we still need a second opinion from a specialist, because this type of injury makes it difficult to give an accurate recovery timeline. So I prefer to wait first before announcing the official conclusion to everyone.

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

Sarr? No, that's not possible.

Pierre, what new insights have you gained about the team over the past few days? The team lost to Everton in the first match—how are you feeling now? What have you learned?

The players are very frustrated, and I understand that. They clearly know what happened in the match, especially since everyone thought we should have scored in the first half. If we had, the match might have gone differently. But football isn't just about whether you deserve to win or whether you deserve to score goals; you have to actually convert chances into goals. Football ultimately comes down to efficiency, and we weren't efficient enough. That's why we lost. We need to improve our ability to create chances and also our ability to finish them, so everything can improve.

You've mentioned several times in recent weeks that Crystal Palace fans are a key reason for your decision to join the club, so 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 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 pleased to see us, but I think they'd prefer to see us win.

We talked about Disasi last week, and now his signing has been officially confirmed. Why did you decide to recruit him?

Now that everything has been officially confirmed, which is good news for us, especially given Chadi Riad's injury. That's why we signed him. He joined the team quickly, but we had to wait a bit before that, because as I said, negotiations were difficult. Ultimately, we reached an agreement with him personally and his club. So now he's ready and completed his first training session after joining today. We'll see if he can play, since he hasn't participated in any competitive matches at the start of the season. But he's a footballer and understands his responsibilities. 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 have injuries and wanted to add a player.

So we may still need to bring in another player in this position. But with Disasi, we'll continue to monitor him. He can give us confidence and also bring experience. He has good ball-playing ability and can play in different defensive positions in our three-back system. So for us, he's a good choice.

Over recent months, there have been many rumors about Mateta and this club. Clearly, his failed transfer to AC Milan in January was widely reported. The BBC also reported this weekend that he's questioning the validity of his contract. I know Crystal Palace acknowledges this contract, and he is currently a properly registered Crystal Palace player. But have you spoken to him? Is he happy now? How do you see the situation?

I communicate with him every day. In front of me, he's a cheerful person who is happy to be here. He gives his best in every training session. I don't see any problem between him and the club or us. So he started in the last match. You can imagine, if we had a problem with him, he wouldn't be playing as a starter. There are issues that need to be resolved, but truthfully, these are probably personal matters for him, not issues about his identity as a player.

Is it difficult to manage a situation like this?

He clearly isn't refusing to play. He participated in last weekend's match and remains under contract with Crystal Palace. But clearly there are other things happening behind the scenes.

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

I think he will stay. As I said, he acts like someone who is happy here, wants to stay here, and is ready to play for the team throughout the season. So I understand your question, but I'm not in doubt about him.

I think I have a similar question about Amine Sarr. Right before we started this interview, there was a report that Liverpool is very interested in him. When this happens, facing pursuit from a big club like Liverpool, doesn't it inevitably make it difficult to keep him?

I also understand that for anyone experiencing contact from a club like that, it's difficult, because you have doubts. But right now, he's still with us and still under contract. As I said, he's injured now, and you might link his injury to the current situation, but in my opinion, he's being honest, and I don't have a problem with that. I spoke with him about this this morning and yesterday as well. We just hope he can get back on the pitch, and we'll let others handle the rest.

I won't rattle off all these different names to you one by one, but will it be difficult to retain these great players you have?

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

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

That's football nowadays. We know that when the transfer window opens, there's a lot of noise and various things surrounding players. Some players may not be used to this situation, and neither are their agents and family members. So when you're inside a club, this isn't a particularly good period. But once the transfer window closes, we just need to focus on our performance and wait for all this to end.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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