Pierre Sage made one thing clear when asked about his first Premier League experience: the result matters above all else. Crystal Palace's defeat to Everton on the opening weekend left the Frenchman deeply dissatisfied, and he made no effort to hide it.

"I'm not here in an attraction park," Sage told Sky Sports ahead of Friday's home match against Manchester City. "I'm here to win games, the job is like this and I'm not happy to lose this game."

Sage pinpointed the second half against Everton as the source of his frustration. Crystal Palace had performed well in the first period, only to drop their level dramatically after the interval — something their head coach refused to accept as normal.

"I understood with this game that we are able to do things and it's difficult when you know you are able to do it and you don't do it for the duration of the game," he said. "That's why we need to be more consistent. We need to work a lot, we need to understand together better. We need to be fluent, to be smooth in our play and the only thing to do is to work."

From Lens to London

Sage arrives at Crystal Palace on the back of an outstanding season with Lens in France. He guided them to second place in Ligue 1 — behind only Paris Saint-Germain and ahead of Marseille and Lyon — while also delivering the club's first Coupe de France title. That combination of league excellence and cup glory earned him a three-year contract in south London.

The appointment drew immediate comparisons with Sage's predecessor, Oliver Glasner, whose own unconventional path to Premier League management had captured the imagination of Crystal Palace supporters. Sage acknowledged the parallel but was quick to carve out his own identity.

"He won and I didn't win here yet, but the most important thing for me is not to be in line with that. It's to be consistent with the previous manager, but in my way," he said. "When I left France, people said I was leaving Champions League football to only play in the Europa League — and I told them I'd be playing in the Champions League every weekend."

A career built on learning

Sage's route to the Premier League has been anything but conventional. He has filled roles ranging from technical director to academy coach, but it is his time working as an assistant that he credits most for shaping him as a head coach.

"When I was an assistant, I understood the training process, but I also understood how to manage the guys," he explained. "To understand the Premier League, the most important thing I did was to watch a lot of games."

He also spoke of the importance of building connections across every department of a football club — a philosophy that goes beyond tactics or training.

"I like to be in contact with all the departments because I consider everybody important in a club," Sage said. "If we have success, it's all together and when we lose, it's the same."

Selhurst Park awaits

Friday's clash with Manchester City will be Sage's first home match as Crystal Palace head coach, and the prospect of managing at Selhurst Park has clearly caught his attention. He has heard about the ground's renowned atmosphere — and is eager to experience it first-hand.

"Everybody has told me it is incredible, it's really different to the other clubs and I'm happy to discover that," he said. "But the most important thing is the play and the result and if we can make them happy at the end of the game, it will be a good satisfaction."

As for the challenge of facing Manchester City, Sage is under no illusions. "It will be a difficult game because there's a lot of talent in their squad," he acknowledged. "That's why it's important to be at our best level for this game."