Leeds United are sitting in the top half ahead of November’s international break, but misery continues for our Premier League rivals, Crystal Palace.
United’s run without a win came to an end against Spurs on Saturday. Noah Okafor’s 79th-minute strike proved the difference at Elland Road.
It couldn’t have been a better way to go into the November international break. Elsewhere in the league, there is doom and gloom for Crystal Palace and others.
20th-placed Crystal Palace set to sack Pierre Sage after woeful start
At 2:36pm on Sunday, Man Utd slipped to the bottom of the Premier League table thanks to Sunderland’s goal and eventual win against Chelsea. That result took the Black Cats off the foot of the table. However, Man Utd’s 4-4 comeback against Aston Villa also keeps them above 20th.
This position now belongs to Crystal Palace. They were soundly beaten once again, this time by Liverpool at Selhurst Park in a 3-1 Reds win.
A seventh defeat in 10 leaves Pierre Sage now expected to be dismissed from his position in South London. Various reports, including from The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam share that Sage is set to be sacked imminently.
The Eagles have scored 10 and conceded a staggering 24 so far this season. Ironically, their only Premier League clean sheet came at Elland Road.
Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche in frame to replace Pierre Sage at Crystal Palace
The same report, relayed by others too, claims that Palace have standout candidates to take over from Sage at Selhurst Park.
Perhaps the most notable name is former Spurs and Brentford boss Thomas Frank. The Dane has been out of work since being sacked by Spurs in February, as he contributed to their plunge into deep relegation trouble last season.
Frank’s stock has taken an almighty hit from his short-lived stay at Spurs, having achieved real success in consolidating Brentford as a Premier League mainstay.
Another name on the list that was also sacked from his previous job in February is Sean Dyche. The ex-Nottingham Forest boss left the City Ground with his side in a likewise precarious position.
Other names of interest include another ex-Forest man in Victor Pereira, Coventry City’s Frank Lampard, plus former Palace defender and current Australia boss Tony Popovic.
Uninspiring: Crystal Palace could be staring at relegation if they mess up Pierre Sage replacement
It’s refreshing to see a club looking like the most likely relegation candidates as we look to stay comfortable in mid-table.
Palace are the standouts right now because they simply have the worst defence in the division. Even appointing a defensive-minded coach, which is clearly in their thinking, might not do the trick.
Forest last season had far better players than Palace do right now, and Dyche couldn’t get a tune out of them; same for Frank at Spurs.
Still, if there is a standout here, it probably is Frank. His Brentford spell shouldn’t be forgotten just because he’s one of the many Spurs managers who have failed there lately.
That being said, it’s quite clear that Palace need to get this appointment right. If they make another bad manager decision, they’re looking like they’re going down.
