Pierre Sage slipping into sack danger zone as Wharton finds his level in latest Palace loss
Pierre Sage was the loser and Matthias Jaissle the winner in the battle between two managers appointed in the summer and yet to fully convince where a popular predecessor once stood.
In fact, Sage could be on a slippery slope if he’s not careful, with Crystal Palace putting in another concerning display in their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United.
Both new to the Premier League, each manager is just about still in a grace period in terms of how they’re being judged. But Sage might not have that kind of protection for much longer.
After a pretty dreadful first half on the entertainment scale, there had only been one shot on target, which was for Palace. They might have taken that as a symbol of progress, compared to shipping three in the first half against Brighton last week.
Evidently not.
Palace have been slow starters this season, but – like in their last couple of Europa League games, against Lyon and Besiktas – they have sometimes found a way to come out of the traps for the second half.
This time, though, they were on the receiving end. A brilliant cross by Jacob Murphy teed up William Osula for Newcastle to take the lead shortly after the break.
It wasn’t long after when Joe Willock thought he’d made it 2-0, bringing the ball under his control with a great touch before finishing, only for VAR to find him to be offside.
But there was no doubting Newcastle had the momentum and Palace had little answer. When the second goal eventually did come for good, it was for the former.
Adam Wharton, partway through a performance that suggested he may have found his level rather than being ready for a step up to the top, was muscled off the ball and Newcastle worked it well. Once again, they took advantage down the right-hand side, with Amar Dedic passing inwards for Harvey Barnes to fire home.
Palace had little to offer. They had looked slightly better with Jean-Philippe Mateta back among the starters – he almost snuck in for a chance in the first half – but they were well off the pace.
As stated, Wharton was particularly concerning. The summer transfer window passed by with plenty of midfield movement, but little in the way of a concrete attempt by another club to sign him, despite plenty of speculation. He was conspicuous by his absence from England’s World Cup squad, too.
This was the kind of display that showed why the elite clubs might have some concerns about him. He moved about the pitch leggily and only completed just over 60% of his passes.
Time is still on his side and there can be no denying how good he has generally been for Palace, but something isn’t quite right at the moment. He won fewer than half of his duels and only made one tackle, with a midfielder on the opposite team – Nico Gonzalez – praised for running the show instead.
Palace substitute Dario Osorio forced a decent save from Lukas Hornicek with a swinging shot as Palace tried to make up lost ground, but other than that, it was pretty much just pot shots.
Since they inexplicably got the better of Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago, Palace have now suffered three defeats and earned one draw. Losing 5-0 to not-so-local rivals Brighton was harrowing last week and this was a feeble response.
Granted, the games are coming thick and fast as a by-product of their European success. Palace might not be quite prepared for the situation they’ve got themselves into. But Sage doesn’t have the credit in the bank that Glasner would have if this was happening under him. Patience could easily wear thin.
Boos rang out at Selhurst Park upon the full-time whistle. Palace are now staring over their shoulders at the bottom three, with games against Spurs and Liverpool seeing them through to the international break. It could get ugly if they’re not careful.
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