- Pierre Sage on Crystal Palace preparing for Europa League
- New manager is excited and optimistic
- Why the Eagles could go back-to-back
Pierre Sage has given a promising verdict on Crystal Palace’s ambitions in the UEFA Europa League next season. The French coach has replaced Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park.
Palace unveiled Sage as their new manager on Monday, and he has given his first interview with club media. He insisted that the focus is on building on Glasner’s historic success.
Glasner guided the Eagles to the UEFA Conference League as he bid farewell to the South London outfit. That has granted the team a place in next season’s Europa League.
Positive pressure – Sage on Europa League
Crystal Palace will be in pot two or three when the draw for the Europa League’s league phase takes place on August 28. They could come up against European heavyweights such as AC Milan or Juventus.
Sage has valuable experience coaching Lyon in the competition, taking them to the quarter-finals back in 2024-25. He boasts a record of four wins and one loss in seven matches.
The new Palace boss looked ahead to the club’s debut Europa League campaign with optimism:
“It’s a positive pressure because when you win, you want to win more. I played the Europa League two years ago, and it was really exciting. You have good games with a lot of intensity.”
Sage alluded to Palace’s Conference League triumph:
“If you give your best like you did last year, you are able to do things that people could never think about. With a good surprise, you can make a big party at the end of the season.”
Palace will be hoping to improve on their Premier League finish after settling for 15th last season. Much of that was down to focusing on the Conference League once safety had been confirmed and qualifying for Europe was no longer possible.
Why Sage can win the Europa League
Sage’s comments will enthuse fans and he should feel confident that the Eagles have a chance of winning back-to-back European competitions. He is inheriting a group of winners who excelled in the knockout stages of the Conference League.
If Palace can keep the likes of Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada and Jean-Philippe Mateta, there’s no reason they can’t kick on and deliver more trophy success. Milan will probably be positioned as favourites, but they are beatable.
Other teams that could be main contenders for the trophy include Juve, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica and Marseille. But the South Londoners are the strongest of the three Premier League clubs, which include Bournemouth and Sunderland.
