Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has refused to bite back at the taunts of Sam Allardyce ahead of their clash with West Brom.
Big Sam used to get under former boss Arsene Wenger's skin like few other managers while Arteta was a player at the Emirates.
Allardyce has reignited hostilities after taking over at the Hawthorns last month when he said Arsenal were “absolutely" among their relegation rivals.
But Arteta said: “I'm not in the dressing room to know exactly how the players will feel about it but playing against Sam you know he is always going to compete in the game with you.
“He is going to make it really difficult and he's got a style and an identity that makes his teams really efficient and when you create that rivalry it's because teams suffer to play against him so he is doing his job really, really well.
“What he has done in the Premier League for the amount of years he has been involved is remarkable. For many different teams in different situations and he still always managed to get the result he is looking for.
“I think once they have a few more games you will see it's completely changed so, as I said before, it will be very tough against them.
“I think he has always enjoyed it because he was competing against big teams and he loves that and he has always been really efficient doing that."
