By Steven Griffiths
Arsene Wenger expects Arsenal to produce a strong response after their dismal opening day defeat when they return to action at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Wenger's side make the short trip to south London with the embarrassment of last weekend's shock 2-0 home loss against West Ham still fresh in their minds.
Heading into the new Premier League campaign, Wenger's squad were widely tipped as genuine title contenders after winning the FA Cup and defeating champions Chelsea in the Community Shield.
But a miserable debut from Petr Cech, the veteran goalkeeper signed from Chelsea and hailed as the last piece in Wenger's title jigsaw, and lacklustre displays from the majority of his new teammates, allowed West Ham to shatter the optimism surrounding the Gunners.
Faced with a tricky clash against a Palace side who started with a 3-1 win at Norwich and have caused numerous problems for the top teams at Selhurst Park in recent years, Wenger acknowledges Arsenal could suffer another blow to their title bid unless they raise their performance levels significantly.
Yet the Arsenal manager is sure that belief among his squad remains intact and he has backed them to rebound with a win that will set the tone for the rest of the season.
"Every defeat makes you a bit smaller, but it is our job to take it in perspective with 37 games to go," Wenger said.
"We have the history behind us from the second half of the campaign last year which shows we have the quality to always respond and to be consistent, so let's focus on our quality.
"Defeat is part of the season and of course that was not planned, but we know it is how we respond to these kind of things that will make our season."
AFP