Brennan Johnson was in the spotlight as Pierre Sage held his first training session in charge of Crystal Palace.
The Frenchman – supported by his coaching staff in Jamal Alioui, Damien Della Santa and Sandy Guichard – cut a vocal figure at Copers Cope as he attempted to get his idea across.
While Sage certainly makes himself heard, Alioui – his assistant – is quite the shouter, and Johnson found that out the hard way after failing to check his shoulder several times during a passing drill.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Jamal Alioui tells Brennan Johnson “you never take a look”
Alioui – who We Are Palace were told by RC Lens fan Maxime Louvier is quite vocal – seemed to let some frustration out towards the Wales international after he failed to check his surroundings.
Taking a quick look to scan the pitch before receiving the ball is crucial for a footballer at any level, but after Johnson notably kept looking in only one direction, Sage’s assistant screamed “you never take a look” – even running onto the pitch to tap the Welshman.
You can see the moment from 3:35 in the video below.
Considering Alioui kept telling the players to “take a look” constantly as this game was going on, there was no excuse for the Crystal Palace No.11 not to be scanning.
Hopefully, this is a sign that Sage and his coaches are going to put a lot of focus on Johnson, and help him improve after a terrible start to life in south London.
The Nottingham Forest academy graduate is still yet to score in 26 appearances for Crystal Palace following a £35m move from Tottenham in January, and often gets muscled off the ball during games.
How can Brennan Johnson make a name for himself at Crystal Palace? 🏴
That may well be down to the fact Johnson does have a problem when it comes to scanning and checking where other players are, so if Sage and Alioui can start by improving his awareness, it could help to make the 25-year-old a much better footballer.
