Carragher Predicts Pierre Sage Will Be Replaced After Palace’s Fourth Straight Defeat

• Jamie Carragher says Crystal Palace will have a new manager the next time they play in the Premier League, per Sky Sports.
• Liverpool won 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Palace’s fourth consecutive league defeat, and Palace sit bottom of the table.
• Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time penalty stopped Pierre Sage joining Frank de Boer as a Palace head coach who lost four league games in a row without scoring.

A Quiet Selhurst Park Waits for the Owner to Decide

Jamie Carragher has made his call on Pierre Sage. Speaking as a studio pundit after Crystal Palace lost 3-1 to Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Sunday, he said he expects the head coach to be gone before Palace play another Premier League match. The defeat was Palace’s fourth in the league on the spin, and it leaves them bottom of the table. Sage is in his first Premier League job, and the international break comes next.

Carragher began with credit for the players, then moved to the question that hangs over their manager.

“I think that would have been one of the best Crystal Palace performances this season. Liverpool won 3-1 away from home but their goalkeeper was their best player. That tells you how well Palace did.”

“But I don’t think you can hang your hat on the performance, especially with a new guy into the Premier League. He’s really struggled so far.”

He then turned to the owner and the cost of staying put.

“I don’t think you can take the risk as an owner when you think of the finances involved. Palace – 14 seasons in the Premier League, we don’t expect them to be [bottom]. They’re an established Premier League club.”

“I think the decision will be made, unfortunately for Pierre Sage. I think Palace will have a new manager the next time they play in the Premier League”

The Afternoon That Backed Up the Verdict

Carragher had a point about the first half, when Palace did not deserve to trail. They had 10 shots, Yeremy Pino hit the bar, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson finished with six saves. The goals came from the details Palace could not fix. Quinten Timber lost Alexis Mac Allister at a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick five minutes before the break, and Mac Allister headed in his fifth goal of the season, as many as he scored in all of last season. Florian Wirtz doubled the lead in the 54th minute after Bradley Barcola found him, ending a 12-game Premier League goal drought. Alexander Isak made it three in the 89th minute.

Palace have now conceded 24 league goals in 10 matches, equalling the 24 they let in at the same stage of 1980-81. Nketiah’s penalty, awarded after Milos Kerkez fouled fellow substitute Dario Osorio, was the club’s first goal in the run of four defeats. It came with the last kick of the game and did not change the mood.

That mood is the other half of the story. Sage came into the match with his job security under threat and with fans and the club hierarchy unsure of him. Yet the reaction inside Selhurst Park was muted. Supporters had booed Sage after a fifth defeat earlier this season. This time there was no anger and no boos at full-time. When Wirtz scored, the away end erupted and the Palace seats fell silent, and when Isak added the third, thousands of home supporters made for the exits.

Resignation in the Stands, Questions About Recruitment

The atmosphere inside the ground is flat after the Holmesdale Fanatics stopped their match day activities in protest over the club’s general treatment of fans. There was no rallying cry on Sunday, only resignation. There does not appear to be any appetite for Sage to be dismissed. The problems are not all of his making. They sit more with the recruitment department, and the injury absence of Ismaila Sarr has hurt Palace badly.

The mood around the head coach is still that of a man whose time is nearly up. Frank de Boer is the parallel the club will not enjoy. He lost four in a row without scoring and was sacked after the fourth. Sage has now lost four in a row too, with one late goal to show for it.

Liverpool had their own reasons to be pleased. The win was their first in three games in all competitions after defeats at Arsenal and Fenerbahce, and it lifted them to fourth. Their manager, Andoni Iraola, was a target for Palace before Liverpool appointed him at the end of last season, which adds an awkward edge to the afternoon.

What Happens Next for Sage

Sage had already won a reprieve but needed a result in October. Palace are now bottom of the table after four straight league defeats. The decision sits with the club, and Carragher has said which way he thinks it will go. Palace’s next Premier League match comes after the international break, and by Carragher’s reading Sage will not be in the dugout for it.