Crystal Palace: pressure on Pierre Sage grows as Mateta faces three-match ban

Crystal Palace head into a decisive week with their head coach under scrutiny and their leading striker suspended. Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur was Palace's third Premier League loss in a row and dropped them into the relegation zone. Pierre Sage insists he will not walk away – but according to reports in England, the club's owners are now weighing whether to make a change.

A red card after 13 minutes

The afternoon in north London turned early. Referee Michael Oliver first showed Jean-Philippe Mateta a yellow card for a late, studs-up challenge on Micky van de Ven, then upgraded it to a straight red after a VAR review for serious foul play. With ten men for more than 75 minutes, Palace conceded from a corner when Archie Gray headed in, and Jan Paul van Hecke added the second after the break.

The consequences go beyond one result. A straight red for serious foul play carries a three-match ban, so, as Sky Sports notes, Mateta will miss Palace's next three league games: Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Sunday, then Coventry City and Hull City after the international break. The suspension applies to domestic games only, so he remains available for Thursday's Europa League tie.

Sage: "I will never give up"

After the match the Frenchman, who previously coached Lyon, asked supporters for patience. "You can trust in me, I will never give up," Sage said, adding that he wanted to be "the first on the pitch on Monday". He was also frank about the table, saying he was not comfortable with Palace's position, and about his future: "It's not me to decide this thing." Chairman Steve Parish watched from the stands.

The Athletic's David Ornstein says the pressure is rising because of the results, the mood around the club and the league position. At the same time, he reports that senior players still back Sage and that he is not aware of the coach having lost the dressing room. Ornstein calls the decision a "huge call" for Parish, the club's American co-owners and sporting director Matt Hobbs. South London News reports that the board has drawn up a list of possible successors as a contingency. English media have linked Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank and Vítor Pereira with the job – none of this is confirmed, and the club has not commented.

The table and the week ahead

Pos	Club	Played	Points	Goal diff.
18	Crystal Palace	9	7	–12
19	Nottingham Forest	9	6	–6
20	Sunderland	9	5	–10

Premier League bottom three after matchday 9 (EZCO match data).

• Thursday, 5 November, 17:45 GMT: Crystal Palace v TSG Hoffenheim (Europa League, league phase, matchday 4)
• Sunday, 8 November, 14:00 GMT: Crystal Palace v Liverpool (Premier League) – without Mateta
• Then: international break, followed by Coventry City and Hull City – Mateta still suspended

Our take

The picture is mixed, which is exactly what makes the decision so hard. Palace have not been poor everywhere: they drew 2-2 at Beşiktaş in the Europa League and won 1-0 at Fulham to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where Sunderland await in December. In the league, though, seven points from nine games and a goal difference of –12 leave no room for patience. Losing Mateta, the side's reference point up front, for three league games makes the Liverpool match even harder.

Ornstein's hint about the timing matters: the international break after Sunday is the natural window for any change. That makes Thursday and Sunday a test of whether Sage still has the squad with him – a spirited display against Liverpool could buy him time, another defeat would leave the board with an even bigger call.

Follow Crystal Palace live on EZCO, with every result and the current Premier League table as it changes – and all fixtures of the Premier League.