LONDON, Oct 14 — Pierre Sage has admitted in an interview with AFP that the opportunity to manage in the Premier League was one he could simply not refuse as he prepares to return to his native France with Crystal Palace this week.

Palace are in Europa League action tomorrow at Lyon, a special fixture for Sage who got his coaching break there in late 2023 and enjoyed a whirlwind 14 months in charge.

Sage, 47, has now joined a small band of Frenchmen to have managed in the Premier League, following most notably in the footsteps of legendary former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and the late Gerard Houllier, who was in charge at Liverpool.

“I am the 10th French coach to have worked in the Premier League and the slightly crazy thing is that I am the first to have done so without having had 100 matches as a manager,” Sage said.

“Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier did incredible things here,” he added. “When the opportunity comes along you obviously say to yourself that it might not come up again.”

Sage had no top-level management experience when he was appointed Lyon coach in November 2023 by their American then-owner, John Textor — who also formerly held a significant stake in Palace.

The seven-time former French champions were bottom of Ligue 1 and heading for relegation.

Sage transformed their fortunes so remarkably that they ended up qualifying for Europe and reaching the French Cup final.

Yet he was sacked halfway through the following campaign. There were talks with English second-flight club Queens Park Rangers that came to nothing before he bounced back in spectacular fashion last season at Lens.

Under Sage, the side from far northern France won the French Cup for the first time in their history and came second in Ligue 1 behind all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain.

Unsurprisingly his achievements attracted interest, and a new chance arose to move to England as Palace sought a successor to Oliver Glasner.

‘Historic’ achievements 

“It was a difficult decision because we had such an incredible year (at Lyon) — historic even — that I could sense what kind of impact it might have,” he told AFP.

“But at some point, you also have to think of yourself and that is what led me to my decision.”

Sage, who was a goalkeeper at amateur level, worked his way up the coaching ranks to become the head of Lyon’s youth academy before getting his big break.

He is learning all about the differences between French football and the Premier League, beyond the enormous financial gulf — Palace’s resources now far outstrip those of Lyon, who have fallen on harder times amid a wider economic crisis in Ligue 1.

Palace lost their first two matches under Sage, but their form has picked up since and they are fresh from beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 last weekend.

The Eagles, who won last season’s Conference League, started their Europa League bid with a 4-0 victory over Poland’s Lech Poznan.

“Compared to France, matches are always played at the same level of intensity by both teams,” Sage said of his early impressions of the English game.

“It is very rare that a team sits back, tries to shut down the spaces and lets you play.”

The very fact this fixture is being played is somewhat ironic — Palace won the Conference League last season having been barred by Uefa from competing in the Europa League due to Textor’s involvement with them and Lyon.

Lyon were allowed to play in the continent’s second-tier competition, and do so again this season after falling short in the Champions League preliminary rounds.

“The first thing I dreamed of when I left Lyon was that I hadn’t left at all,” Sage joked as he contemplated tomorrow’s game.

“Being sacked is part of the job. It was more leaving Lyon that was difficult for me.”

Now focused on his new life in south London, Sage is optimistic Palace can remain competitive domestically and also go far in Europe.

“With the quality we have, if we rotate the squad in the right way we can compete in both competitions,” he said. — AFP