Pierre Sage has challenged Crystal Palace to reproduce their dominant opening spell against Al-Ula over an entire match after Friday’s 3-1 victory.
The project offered perhaps its clearest glimpse yet during a first 15 minutes in which the Eagles overwhelmed their opponents.
Justin Devenny and Eddie Nketiah put Palace 2-0 ahead inside ten minutes after two flowing attacking moves, with Sage’s side creating enough opportunities to have scored even more.
Jaydee Canvot added a third after the break as Palace finished their Como Cup campaign with an encouraging victory.
ReadCrystalPalace covered the 3-1 win over Al-Ula earlier on Sunday, with the performance providing another positive step in Sage’s first pre-season as Eagles manager.
Crystal Palace Pierre Sage style beginning to emerge
Sage believes the opening period was Palace’s best football of the summer because his players executed the style he has been trying to introduce.
“This is because we played how we choose to play,” Sage said.
“It’s a kind of success. But now we have to do that for the whole game.”
Palace’s ability to create chances against different defensive approaches is one area Sage wants to keep developing.
The Frenchman also stressed that his side must learn how to react when the context of games changes, particularly when facing a low block or falling behind.
That process remains ongoing.
However, the opening against Al-Ula offered supporters one of the clearest indications yet of what Sage wants Palace to become: proactive, aggressive and capable of creating chances through structured possession.
Palace’s official post-match interview with Sage also underlined his demand for greater consistency across the full 90 minutes.
The next challenge is making those 15-minute spells last considerably longer.
With Everton waiting in Palace’s Premier League opener, Sage wants the identity of his new side established before competitive football begins.
