With Arsenal really needing to bounce straight back from the shock and disappointment of losing our first Premier League game of the season against West Ham, it is perhaps a very good thing that our next match is against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners have a fantastic record against the Eagles, having lost just twice in 34 attempts against them. We have never lost to them in the Arsene Wenger era and the last and only time we lost at Selhurst Park was in 1979. The Gunners have also won all four games since Palace returned to the Premier League a couple of years ago, so that is the good news.
The bad news, however, is that we also had a brilliant recent head to head record against West Ham until they turned up at the Emirates last Sunday. So while the Arsenal players are aware of us having this great record against our next opponents, Nacho Monreal has admitted to Arsenal Player that we are under real pressure to produce a perfect game in order to not let another record slip.
The Spanish left back said, “We have played many times against them away from home and we have won each time but we know they are a difficult team.
“They have really good players who are physically hard. We know it will be a difficult game but after losing our first match, we must win.
“We have to play like we know how. If every player gives 100 per cent then I think we will have many options to win the game.
“Obviously we have to make a perfect game from the first minute to the last and if we do that, I think we will win.”
The Arsenal team should also remember that Palace were a much better side in the second half of last season once Pardew took over, although we did still beat them on their own ground. The question is, will Arsenal manage to keep our record against them going strong?