Sage on role of possession vs Ipswich & Chilwell’s impact
Pierre Sage says his team’s focus is not solely on retaining possession, but on playing the way they want to play against each opponent, as Crystal Palace prepare to host Ipswich Town.
The Eagles have enjoyed the bulk of the ball in one of four matches in all competitions so far this season – in the opening-day contest at Everton – whilst Ipswich have had less of it in all four of their games so far this season.
In his pre-match press conference, the Palace Manager was asked if that would influence his team’s approach on Saturday at Selhurst Park.
His reply: “There’s another comparison we can do with this opponent, because they’re one of the best teams in the very high intensity of the league.
“That's why there's a big difference with us: we run a lot but, for the moment, we run without high speed. But they are able to do that – we have to control that. That's why if we have the control of the play, we have to be careful with the counter-attack.
“At the end the most important thing is not the possession. For sure we want to have the possession, we want to play well and we want to win the game like this.
“But it depends on the context, it depends on the opponent, and it depends on each game. We want to play and we want to improve in our way of playing, but we have to manage when we lose the ball by counter-pressing, by the rest defence, and this kind of thing.
"I think it will be a good test for us.”
We need to improve our confidence to play
—Pierre Sage
Sage admitted in the aftermath of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Middlesbrough that he was still seeking more from his side, and explained further today: “During the training when I'm looking at a drill or something like that, and we test it, I always have a new idea to improve it.
“We have to be satisfied with this, because the players give their best for the moment and maybe they are able to give only that for the moment, but we have always the idea to improve, and always to keep the level of the demand very high. We have to be in line with the possibility at the moment too. That's the balance between these two things.
“When you win there is less pressure. But the pressure is always there for me, because I want to do the best session with the staff and the players, because we need to improve our play, we need to improve our confidence to play.
“That's why every day is important, every session is important, and every player has to understand that. But with the victories, we enjoy them, and we like to enjoy them. That's why we want to win more games than two.”
Sage was also asked about the returning Ben Chilwell, who – following his return to Palace – scored the winner with his first touch off the bench against Fulham, before creating Jørgen Strand Larsen’s second goal in midweek with a pinpoint cross.
“We chose to take him for a second time because he knew the club, he knew the league and he knew our dressing room too,” Sage said of Chilwell.
“I understand with this player that the most important thing for him is to win, but to win as a team. I think it's a good representation of what we want too, and we need this kind of leadership because we are a little bit light in this domain. That's why it's really important for us that Ben comes with us.
“He has talent. He performs in every game he plays. I played against him last year [when managing RC Lens against Strasbourg] and I was really surprised by his level, especially in the French league.
“But now, he’s come back in the Premier League with maybe this ambition [to play for England again]. I don't speak with him about that, but we will see. Why not?”
Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town
- Saturday, 12th September
- 15:00 BST
- Premier League
- Selhurst Park
- Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.