Jefferson Lerma has found his best position, he should stay in the Crystal Palace side

Jefferson Lerma has excelled at centre-back for Crystal Palace under Pierre Sage, with the Colombian's defensive performances correlating to recent positive results.

Jefferson Lerma has found his best form playing centre-back for Crystal Palace rather than his usual central midfield position, according to analysis of Pierre Sage's tactical approach. The 32-year-old Colombian has made significant defensive contributions in recent matches, including a clean sheet in the Carabao Cup win over Fulham on Wednesday with 13 defensive contributions and nine ball recoveries.

Lerma's performances at centre-back have coincided with Palace's improved results, including a goal against Nottingham Forest and a clean sheet against Leeds. When Sage has deployed him in midfield, results have suffered — Palace lost 5-0 to Brighton and 2-0 to Newcastle with Lerma either playing or unused.

With Sage's job under threat ahead of Saturday's match against Tottenham, Lerma's continued deployment at centre-back appears crucial to Palace's fortunes. Reports suggest Thomas Frank is being pursued as a potential replacement for Sage if results don't improve.