Pierre Sage spoke about a 0-0 draw between Crystal Palace and Leeds United.
The draw came against a team that sat in third position in the Premier League before the beginning of the fifth matchday, and it followed an emphatic 4-1 win over Lech Poznan in the Europa League.
·‘It’s about how we defend when we are low: we did it better’
Defensive deficiencies were visible in defeats to Ipswich Town, Manchester City and Everton, but the Eagles seem to be finding more of the stability in their 5-2-3 shape from the Oliver Glasner days.
“It’s a good point to make a clean sheet. But it would be a better point if we won this game because I think we created chances too. That’s why we have to analyse this clean sheet, not only in the way to defend, but in the way to attack. We created chances without scoring, and altogether it’s a good point.
“We didn’t [previously] concede too many goals in transition, we took goals when we were low and with crosses and from bad defending the penalty box – and today it was better for that. That’s why it’s not only about the balance, it’s about how we defend when we are low, and we did it better today.
“I prefer to have the ball, and I think it’s the best way to defend. But in this league, with our players, we have to be maybe more patient in our way of defending. That’s why we improved that last week. We showed that in our game on Thursday and today. We gave less space, less time to the opponent.
“I think it’s better. And the mindset is especially different, I think, to before, because we are more aggressive and more on the players. We go on quickly when the ball is on the side and that changes things. That’s why there’s a situation. And when you have this kind of problem, we resolve it for the moment. But we have to keep it, because doing it one game is easy – we need to do it every game.
“We want to continue in this way with the same mindset. I think this group is special, ready to fight, ready to change things, ready to understand another way of thinking football and maybe playing it.
“And the most important thing is that they enjoy the pitch during the sessions and in this way, they can play together, they can play as a team. And I think you saw that for three or four games now.”