Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace: Arsene Wenger's Key Pre-Match Presser Comments

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners' New Year's Day clash with Crystal Palace in the Premier League will be trickier now Sam Allardyce is in charge of the Eagles, and he is unsurprised the former England boss is back in management so soon after leaving his post with the national team.

Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew at Selhurst Park after the 55-year-old was relieved of his duties on December 22, and Wenger is anticipating a difficult challenge following his appointment, per the Mirror's Joe Mewis: "The level of confidence and urgency goes up when a new manager comes in, and that makes the games more difficult."

The former Sunderland and West Ham United manager lasted just 67 days as England boss, leaving his position in September following a newspaper sting by undercover reporters.

However, Wenger was not surprised to see him back in the Premier League, per Mewis:

"

No, not really because today the clubs in trouble looked for experienced managers.

To stay in the league has become a big problem for everybody and when teams look for managers he was one with the experience and quality. After that it is moral judgement. I don’t know how guilty he was of doing something or not. He was in a strong position as national team manager. That means he has the quality to be there.

"

Wenger gave the latest team news ahead of the clash, per ESPN's Mattias Karen:

As for long-term absentee Danny Welbeck, he has returned to fitness, but Wenger did not confirm if he was in contention for a place in the squad, per Arsenal's official Twitter feed:

Palace drew 1-1 against Watford in Allardyce's first game in charge, while Arsenal needed a late winner from Olivier Giroud to recover from back-to-back defeats as they beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Boxing Day.

Mesut Ozil provided the assist for Giroud's goal, and Wenger came to the German's defence following criticism of the star in recent weeks, per Mewis:

"

He has improved his commitment and works harder than people think he does. [...] He works hard but he had one or two games where he was frustrated.

The one that comes to my mind is the Manchester City game where he was criticised but when you look at his whole contribution he has done fantastic.

"

The 28-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding season overall, but his anonymous performances as Arsenal slipped to defeats against Everton and Manchester City in the run up to Christmas drew ire from many pundits and supporters alike.

Indeed, as excellent a player as Ozil is, there still remains a question mark over his ability to produce match-winning contributions in Arsenal's biggest games. That should be a concern for a team with aspirations of winning the Premier League title, particularly one that has so often suffered from mental fragility when it matters most.

The Gunners are nine points behind Chelsea in the table, casting serious doubt as to whether Arsenal can catch the Blues, who have won 12 consecutive Premier League matches.

According to Karen, Wenger has refused to give up hope of reeling them in, though:

If Antonio Conte's side beat Stoke City on New Year's Eve, they will be 12 points ahead of Arsenal before kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, so the Gunners can't afford any slip-ups when they face Palace.

Arsenal and Chelsea face each other at Stamford Bridge on February 4, so the Gunners will be hoping the gap will be reduced somewhat by then if the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool can take points off the Blues in January.

Should they do so and Arsenal get a positive result in west London, Wenger's men may still be in with a chance of finishing top.

In his last press conference of the year, the Frenchman also reflected on 2016 from Arsenal's perspective and the Premier League as a whole:

While Spurs' collapse and Arsenal beating them to second place marked a positive end to last season, it was disappointing for the Gunners that in a campaign in which Chelsea, Manchester United and City all underperformed, they still failed to sustain a title challenge and saw underdogs Leicester City achieve what they've failed to do since 2004.

With Bayern Munich awaiting in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 and the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and City providing significant obstacles to winning the Premier League, 2017 may well hold a similarly underwhelming start for Arsenal—to avoid it, they'll need Ozil and their other stars to shine.