Bobby Manzi of the Daily Mail reports that Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage appears to have secured his position after the goalless draw against Leeds United. The club had originally planned to assess his future during the three-week international break, but the team's defensive performance in this match makes a managerial change unlikely.

Ahead of the match, Sage faced considerable pressure; some reports even suggested he could become the first Premier League manager of the season to be sacked following poor performances by Crystal Palace.

Sage acknowledged the external pressure after the match: "When I look at social media, I feel immense pressure. But I don't care about that. I will do my work honestly and give my best within my abilities and limitations. In the end, I will have no regrets about what I've done."

Although Crystal Palace did not win, this draw was viewed as a positive step forward after conceding eleven goals in their previous four Premier League matches. The team displayed a more compact and disciplined defence, keeping their first clean sheet under Sage in the Premier League.

This was also Crystal Palace's second consecutive match without conceding. On Thursday, they defeated Lech Poznań 4–0 in a Europa League fixture, but the Daily Mail believes the defensive performances in the two matches were markedly different. In the European match, Crystal Palace's defence still gave the opposition plenty of opportunities, whereas against Leeds United they were significantly more solid.

Leeds United created few genuine threats throughout the match. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an excellent chance near the penalty box, but was brilliantly saved by Matheus Benilson; aside from that, Crystal Palace rarely faced truly dangerous moments.

Takehiro Tomiyasu played as a centre-back in this match and delivered an exceptional performance in the first half, but for some reason could not continue after half-time. Jefferson Lerma came on as a substitute, with Chris Richards moving to the centre, yet Crystal Palace's defence remained under control.

This is also a positive sign for Sage. This season, Crystal Palace's back three has changed in every Premier League match, previously leading to a lack of stability and understanding in defence. In this match, however, they showed better performances in duels and reduced simple ball losses.

Jédi Kanwo, who had not started in the previous two matches, showed marked improvement in this fixture and made a crucial interception late in the game, denying Calvert-Lewin a direct shooting opportunity.

The Daily Mail reported that Crystal Palace had planned to discuss Sage's future at the start of the international break, but after this match, a managerial change at that time has become "unlikely and unjustified." Although the team's attack still appears somewhat laboured, a relatively uninspiring performance combined with solid defending is exactly what this team needed to rebuild confidence.

In their opening five matches this season, Crystal Palace produced results against the same opponents that were no worse than last season. When they visited Leeds last season, they struggled with the home atmosphere and ultimately suffered a 4–1 defeat, whereas the team performed far more composed this time.

The article suggests that even had Crystal Palace lost this match, sacking Sage at this point would have been debatable. He has attempted to change the team's playing style, promoting higher pressing and proactive attacking, but this has also exposed defensive vulnerabilities, and a tactical system overhaul cannot be implemented overnight.

When Sage took over the team, moreover, two centre-backs only arrived in the final week of the summer transfer window. Rather than signing a direct replacement for Maxence Lacroix, the club loaned Axel Disasi from Chelsea. Other options were Richards, who struggled to adapt without Lacroix's support, and the young player Kanwo, who is still developing and occasionally makes mistakes.

The Daily Mail believes that given these circumstances, Sage has remained level-headed and should be given more time to implement his football philosophy. During his previous spell at Lens, he led the team to second place in Ligue 1 and won the Coupe de France.

On the other hand, Leeds United remained unbeaten in their opening five Premier League matches. Manager Daniel Farke said after the match: "It's a mixed feeling. Of course we would have preferred to win, but the reality is that you cannot have 38 magical nights under the floodlights in a season, and you cannot play champagne football every matchday, completely dominate opponents and simply score goals."

"Sometimes there are these Sunday afternoon matches where it doesn't flow, and you have to dig deep. I'm pleased that the team kept a clean sheet, extended their unbeaten run, and showed the mentality to fight for every point."

Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford made five saves in this match and helped secure the point. The Daily Mail suggests that with nine English teams competing in European competitions this season and a relatively favourable fixture list, Leeds United are capable of challenging for a European place. However, after the international break, they face Arsenal, Manchester United, Sunderland, and Bournemouth in October—a sequence of matches that will represent a real test.

Übersetzt von KI.

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