---
title: "What did Pierre Sage tell Crystal Palace players ahead of the Brighton clash?"
canonical: "https://readcrystalpalace.com/2026/10/16/pierre-sage-crystal-palace-brighton-team-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Shumail Sajid"
section: "Crystal Palace News"
published: "2026-10-16T17:15:00Z"
modified: "2026-10-16T17:15:00Z"
---

# What did Pierre Sage tell Crystal Palace players ahead of the Brighton clash?

**Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage has challenged his players to show a different side of their game when they face Brighton on Sunday, insisting that energy alone will not be enough to win the derby.**

[Crystal Palace](https://readcrystalpalace.com/tag/crystal-palace/) have enjoyed a strong recent record against their rivals, but Sage is not interested in what happened in previous meetings. He wants his team to approach the game with the right attitude, while also making better decisions on the pitch.

“You have to keep in mind that it’s football. You need energy. You need a fighting spirit. But you have to keep in mind that it’s a clever game. And the tactical side of the play is very important too,” [Sage said during his press conference](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/first-team/sage-reveals-expectations-focus-for-palace-v-brighton-rivalry/).

The Palace boss knows the occasion matters to supporters and the club. He wants his players to show the kind of performance they produced in the second halves of their previous two matches.

“We know it’s a big game, it’s a big game for the club, a big game for our fans and we have to show our better face – and I think our better face is one of the second-half of our two previous games.”

## **Sage tells Crystal Palace players to forget previous results**

Palace’s recent record against [Brighton](https://readcrystalpalace.com/tag/brighton/) gives them reason for confidence, but Sage believes past results count for little once the next game begins.

“It’s a good point but as I said last time, there’s no memory in football,” he explained.

“You can play one game 10 times against the same team and the 11th game is completely different, especially when you change the years, the players, the staff. That is really important.”

Sage also pointed to the changes within his own team. Some players who are now regular starters were substitutes when the two sides met last season, and he wants them to use that difference as motivation.

“I just saw the starting 11 of this game and some of our players in the starting 11 this year were substitutes last year – and I think they have to take a personal revenge for that.”