Pierre Sage arrived as Crystal Palace manager well aware of the task at hand as he tries to build on the unprecedented success of the past two seasons — the most glittering period in the club’s history, which has yielded three trophies. But as he spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday, it actually felt as though he had been at Palace for some time already.There was a confidence and authority in the way he spoke, the Frenchman giving considered answers in fluent English and even cracking a few jokes along the way. He has been in post for six weeks, perhaps long enough to grasp the important things about the club and its history, and to become properly acquainted with most members of his squad. Even accounting for that, it was still impressive how much it all seemed natural, familiar and genuine.It was, he said, no longer a “dream” to work in the Premier League but a “reality”, that he hadn’t yet had time to explore London due to the intensity of pre-season training camps in Como and Freiburg, and admitted his “impatience” to play the opening game of the season against Everton on Saturday.He intends to continue with a similar style of play as that instigated at his previous clubs, Lyon and Lens, with “three pillars” to his system, but stressed a need for time and a focus on learning how to play rather than on results in the early part of the campaign.Sage discussed transfers, expressing a need for a “leader” in defence, seeming to rule out the signing of free agent Wilfried Zaha and the possibility of Adam Wharton leaving, with The Athletic reporting on Tuesday that the midfielder had attracted interest from Manchester City.For just over 40 minutes, he was engaging and apologised afterwards for his English and seemed conscious that he had talked for what he thought was an extended period of time. But the manner in which he delivered his words also gave the impression he had carefully considered what he had said.This is what we learnt from his first time speaking with the media.Transfers and his eagerness for defensive leadershipIt was interesting that Sage felt the need to stress the importance of signing a leader in defence, acknowledging there has been no experienced recruit to plug the gap left by the departures of Marc Guehi for Manchester City in January and Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for £52million ($70.8m) this summer.“First of all, yes, we need a player in this department,” Sage said. “We need a player with a lot of games, if possible in the Premier League because we need players, but we need a leader. That’s why we need to wait a little bit to find a good one.”That seems likely to be Axel Disasi, with Palace having held discussions with Chelsea over signing the 28-year-old centre-back on loan.Axel Disasi enjoyed a successful loan spell at West Ham United over the second half of last season (Alex Broadway/Getty Images)Sage told Palace TV during the Freiburg trip last week that his squad was not yet ready for the new season and indicated a need for new signings despite losing only Lacroix and Brennan Johnson — who was swapped for Everton’s Dwight McNeil — to date, a reality he reiterated in this meeting with the media.“Maybe we need one or two (more signings) and we have time,” he told reporters. “We don’t want to (just) take a player; we want to take a good player for us. That’s why it’s not just one or two guys because we have to work with these guys during the season. Sometimes it’s better to wait.”It suggested that, with the Europa League campaign in mind, a larger squad will be preferred — a contrast to predecessor Oliver Glasner last season. Versatility was helpful, he said, referring to Oscar Mingueza’s ability to play on either flank, but it was not essential to his way of playing.He did not entirely rule out the chances of Daniel Munoz leaving, despite signing Mingueza on a free and Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise, but said the Colombia international was happy at the club and they were happy to keep him.Romain Esse, though, will be allowed to leave, with Sage saying “sometimes it is about honesty with the players”, and acknowledging that the attacker is unlikely to be given the minutes he wants or needs. Palace have been in talks with Club Brugge over a deal for the England under-21 international.At least for now, Sage appears relaxed about the club’s transfer strategy even if he has made clear where the gaps are in his squad and the importance of filling them.Pressure, ambition and following in Glasner’s footstepsThis is an area in which he seems to bear some similarities to the man from whom he has taken over.“Ambition” was a word he repeated a handful of times, believing his beginnings in the French lower leagues and as an academy coach mean he is working under “no pressure” — but equally that his journey has made him more eager to succeed.“I came from the bottom, now I’m here, and I just want to give my best,” he said. “For me, the pressure is every day with the players to give them the best session I’m able to give. Sometimes there’s a gap between (how his team prepared and how that showed in a match) and it’s our job to make this gap as small as we can. In this way, we can improve the way of playing.“Everything is possible when you start with ambition, and you give consistency to that. That’s why the first games are really important and we know in which condition we will play them, but we keep our ambition.”Pierre Sage’s roots are in lower league and academy football in France (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)What type of manager is he and what has shaped his approach?Sage spoke about some of the Premier League’s most influential and successful managers when discussing those from whom he had learned. He cited Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Marcelo Bielsa, and he summed up his approach by quoting former Manchester City manager Guardiola: “We are all robbers and take good ideas from others, but we (are the ones who) have to put that into action, adapt that to our context and personality.”“He (Guardiola) speaks with his heart. I’m not really like this. I’m more quiet, more shy maybe, but (I can be) angry.“We have to understand how we are and who we are, and to adapt that to our way of doing — to the relationship with the players, to the relationships with the club, with the press — because I think we have to stay who we are to be honest every day with that.”But he also made it clear he wanted a collaborative approach, to lean on his backroom staff, and that he was open to ideas from wherever they come.“I try to explain that everybody is important in the club and I have to the space for everybody because all of my colleagues are better than me in their department,” he added. “I have to take all these skills, and to put it together to create a system that is strong and able to do things we are not able to do alone. That’s why a manager has to consider and respect everyone’s role.”How does he want to set up his team?Sage was clear that he intends to play in a similar manner to how he did at Lyon and Lens, stressing: “We don’t want to reinvent the play”. It does not seem to be too much of a departure from Glasner’s style, which is likely to help with continuity, but there is an intention to have more possession and attacking higher up the pitch.“I always spoke about three pillars,” he said. “The first one is about the pressing. We want to recover the ball as soon as we can because we want to play with the ball and be efficient in the build-up to create possession in the opponents’ half.“We want to attack the depth and to put psychological and space pressure on the opponent, and we are able to do that by having possession. But we want to do that in transition too because we have to be able to play in a lot of contexts to compete. Set pieces (can also) make the difference in some moments of the game.”Patience may be requiredHe is aware of the need to start well, but urged patience in light of a pre-season campaign disrupted by the World Cup, with players returning at different times.“We have to take into consideration the late arrivals of the players, but we want to implement our principles too,” he said. “The most important thing is to play as a team to respect every moment of the game because we want to play as a unit.“For the moment, we are at the beginning because we only play with all the players for two weeks. That’s why we have to adapt. We have to take what the team is able to do and what they did with Oliver Glasner.“We cannot only focus on results. We have to focus on the way to (achieve) results, because it’s not (about) one game. It is about maybe 60 games. The ideas and principles are really important and we work on them every day. Not all the players are at the same level but we will take time to explain to them.”Pierre Sage believes some patience will be required as he and his players settle (Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)Adjusting to a new country and the Premier LeagueIt has long been Sage’s ambition to coach in the Premier League, and that was a major part in why he took the Palace job despite the success enjoyed at Lens last season. But, having realised that dream, he now wants to “continue my improvement”.“When I was a young coach in an amateur club, it was a dream,” he said. “Now I’m here; it’s a reality. But it’s only a step. I keep my ambition. I want to go forward with this team, with this club, as long as we can. I want to continue my improvement, the improvement of the club and the players, but emotionally it’s really a good moment.“We have the habit of winning, but we have to confirm that every day by working and by performing during the game.“The league (which enticed him to join) and after that it’s a special club because it’s the only club with ultras. I like to play for the fans and players have to understand that because, when they come to the stadium, they wait to see something. So we have to give them that.“I have a respect for the club winning three trophies, but I don’t come for that. This is a club with a big culture and I like that because there’s history here, there’s something special. You understand that when you enter the stadium and the (training ground). It’s really special for me; I like this kind of atmosphere.”Sage said he is not a “special one”, referring to Mourinho’s iconic line upon joining Chelsea, but instead, “the happy one”.Palace will hope that he remains so come the end of the season, and that he can effectively implement his style and system into a “new context” while finding a way to build on the club’s recent success. His first words offered encouragement that it can be achieved.