Feature: Sage reflects on his journey to Palace

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Manchester City programme in August 2026 you can buy issues of the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

Three years ago Pierre Sage had just undertaken a role working in Lyon’s academy. Tonight he steps in the dugout at Selhurst Park for the very first time – his first managerial role outside of his native France.

Ahead of his first home game with Palace, the new Manager discussed his coaching philosophy, journey so far and what he wants to achieve at his new club...

Interview: Jack Lacey-Hatton

It’s been a big summer for Pierre Sage. Moving to another country and taking on a new job – in professional football, or indeed in any walk of life – it has to be one of the biggest challenges any of us can face.

Since his arrival, his in-tray has included integrating players to the squad who are arriving back at different times due to the World Cup, leading pre-season camps in Italy and Germany, whilst also becoming familiar with the training ground and the wider Palace workforce.

Away from the detail required on the training pitch, there is also the small matter of working with the recruitment department, with six first-team signings at the time of writing. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So it’s understandable that Sage requires a strong coffee following another intense session at Copers Cope, before talking to the matchday programme.

However, this is someone who certainly isn’t fazed by the challenge of joining the club at the most successful period in club history.

As pointed out in his first interview when appointed Manager, “it’s a positive pressure [on him], because when you win, you want to win more.”

Within minutes of sitting down with the Frenchman, you get a strong sense he is ready for the cut and thrust of the Premier League.

“It's a big challenge [coming to Palace],” said Sage. “But if we want to achieve incredible things, we have to consider this challenge as an opportunity.

“I never considered coaching in the Premier League as a reality because, in France, when you’re not a professional player, it’s really difficult to get on coaching courses.

“When I got the ‘A’ licence in France, I was one of the youngest guys, at just 25-years-old.

“I had to wait. I went to Spain, Switzerland and Portugal to gain opportunities, and in the long run that’s helped me.

“It opened some doors, so now, I don’t only have contacts and knowledge from France, but across Europe.

“Plus, I went from working for an amateur side to working for one of the biggest professional clubs in France.

“This was an incredible thing and has given me belief. People would have said this is more or less impossible, but it shows everything is possible in football.”

“I came from the bottom and now I’m here. I just want to give my best. The pressure is on giving the players the best possible session I can give, every day.”

Sage’s first footballing memory is an early one, France losing the 1982 World Cup semi-final to Germany when he was just three. Yet it taught him a valuable early lesson.

“They lost on penalty kicks in Seville, and I remember it was very surprising. At that moment I thought ‘France never wins anything’, even though later of course they did.

“Seeing them lose made me realise, even if you go so far in football, you don’t always win. And unless you go all the way, you can only touch the trophy – you can’t take it.”

He didn’t have such trouble getting his own hands on a trophy last season, leading RC Lens to the Coupe de France, for the first time in their history, and finishing second in the French top-flight, only behind the two-time Champions League winners PSG.

Sage arrived in South London knowing this club has a taste for silverware after winning three trophies in two seasons, with a first-ever Europa League campaign high on the agenda for 2026/27.

And the Manager believes there are similarities between the two clubs’ fanbases that he can tap into, to keep a strong connection between the stands and the touchline.

“Obviously there are differences between every club,” he adds. “For example, I was at Lyon, which was quite a young and [in France] rich club.

“Lens I would describe as a popular club, because of the history.

“Here [at Palace] we are a historic club with a big fanbase – so it’s more similar to Lens. Lyon, for example, weren’t founded until 1950; it’s a big difference to 1861!

“And I like to build a team to play for the fans. This is a special club, and we have to use that energy from the stands.

“I have huge respect for the three trophies this club has won, but I don’t come for just this.

“I know there is a big culture and history before then. There’s something special, you can see this the first time you enter the stadium and we need to use this atmosphere.”

Sage’s outstanding work on the other side of the English Channel in the last few years perhaps left a move to the Premier League, if not inevitable, highly likely at some stage.

After all, despite the high-profile departure of Pep Guardiola from tonight’s opponents Manchester City in the summer, England’s top-flight still has a strength in depth in terms of high-quality coaches that no other league can match.

As it is often pointed out football managers must cover all corners of the club – from recruitment, to media, to communication with the medical team.

But their bread and butter will always be coaching players. And it was his expertise in this area that saw him evolve from academy coach to Premier League manager.

“I think my first skill is the methodology of training,” Sage adds. “This is why, when I was first working as a head coach, I think some guys still considered me more of an assistant.

“I loved to be on the training pitch. That’s why when I first became the academy director at Lyon, I changed all the training methodology.

“But only for a few months I did this job, then they fired the coach of the first team. They initially asked me to be an interim for two games.

“Then it was three, then four, then five. We kept getting results and performances. That’s why they let me carry on – but it wasn’t the plan for me.

“It was a consequence of results, I wasn’t expecting it [to get the job full-time]. At the beginning of my time as interim manager there, a lot of people thought the club would go down – I think there was some analysis done that gave us 0% chance of staying up.

“In the end, we finished in the Europa League qualification and reached the cup final. It was amazing.

“But having that belief is so important.”

This time 12 months ago, few outside of Lens were backing Sage’s former team to win silverware.

Once again, he built a team that proved a lot of people wrong.

Having his first home game this evening comes against a club that have won four of the past six Premier Leagues, and are once again among the bookmakers favourites this time around, is entirely fitting. It’s another chance to prove the doubters wrong.

“It’s a big challenge,” Sage says of his first game at Selhurst Park. “But if we want to achieve incredible things, we have to consider this challenge as an opportunity.

“I don’t like it when people think things are impossible. We know we can get a result.

“For me this is the behaviour, the attitude, the commitment we have to show. We know all season we will play against big teams and big clubs – it’s the Premier League.

“You have to be humble, but you also have to know you can win.”

It may be a new Manager in the dugout this evening. But the winning mindset isn’t going anywhere.