- Watch Sage's full pre-match press conference here.
- Everything you need to know about Friday night's game against Manchester City.
The Eagles kicked off 2026/27 with a defeat against Everton which could so easily have gone another way, after a largely dominant opening half to the game in which they hit the post twice.
And speaking in the embargoed section of his pre-match press conference – ahead of Palace hosting Manchester City, in his first game in charge at Selhurst Park – Sage explained what he has liked about his players’ reaction to that result.
“I think the beginning of the week was [drawing] the line after the defeat,” Sage noted, speaking on Wednesday afternoon. “We had to digest – and today, it was very good.
“It was very good. I think we’ve switched. We don't forget, but we had that [experience] onside, and we prepared us to take all the opportunities this team offers.
“Our process is always the same. We start from our previous game, and we go to our next game, every day, with a subject. Today it was how to play in the back of the opponent, for example.
“And we evaluate what we did well and badly during our last game, and what we can do against Manchester City. It's always the same process.
“That's why, at the end, we prepare ourselves in the way we decide, and we adapt to the context of each opponent.”