Mikel Arteta admits that the clash against West Brom will be a ‘baptism of fire’ for the Arsenal star

Mikel Arteta has praised the “remarkable” Sam Allardyce before old rivalries are rekindled in the Hawthorns.

Big Sam used to get under the skin of former boss Arsene Wenger like few other coaches, while Arteta was a player on the Emirates.

There were certainly some whining from Arsenal fans when Allardyce took over at West Brom just a couple of weeks before their meeting.

West Brom boss Allardyce had incredible control over Arsenal while in charge of Bolton before moving on to West Ham, Blackburn and then Everton.

Allardyce then reignited hostilities after taking over from the Hawthorns last month when he said Arsenal were “absolutely” among their relegation rivals.

But Arteta insists he only admires Allardyce with Arsenal looking for three wins in a week, while West Brom needs another Big Sam miracle to stay on his feet.

Gunner Chief Arteta said: “I’m not in the locker room to know exactly how the players will feel about it, but playing Sam you know that he will always compete in the game with you.

“He’s going to make it very difficult for him and he has 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’s doing his job very, very well.

Mikel Arteta’s gunners have been deprived of title glory for a while now, but things could be turning as a new Arsenal team chart a course for success.

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New signings Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey have started to work after their big summer arrivals, and the new Gunners are doing their best for a top four spot and Europa League glory this season.

Mesut Ozil’s situation continues to hang in the background and there are plenty of things to do in North London to keep up with.

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“What he has done in the Premier League for the number of years that he has been involved is extraordinary. For many different teams in different situations and he always managed to get the result he was looking for.

“I think once they have a few more games you will see that it has completely changed, so like I said before, it will be very difficult 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 very efficient doing it.”

But it will be something of a baptism of fire for central defender Pablo Mari, as the Spanish central midfielder signed by Brazilian club Flamengo can probably look forward to some direct long balls.

Mari, 27, has impressed since being forced into action due to injury and absences last month, and yet even Arteta admits it will be something else entirely, even if he has no doubts that the former defender of the Mallorca can handle it.

Arteta said: “There are certain games, certain terrains, certain styles in the Premier League that you have to go through an experience and many times we say to new players: ‘welcome to the Premier League.

“It’s winter, it’s very cold, the field isn’t very good, it’s windy and you have to start dealing with 50 long balls, aerial duels, very physical teams, but in this league you have to get used to it. But it will be fine. “

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The other point in favor of back-to-back victories at Christmas has been the form of the young Emile Smith-Rowe and Arteta says she always believed the 20-year-old creative midfielder would become a star.

Arteta added: “He is a player that I really like from the first day I saw him. It’s just the way he moves, how smart he is, the position he takes, and, as you mentioned, his work rate. Don’t underestimate him because he works so hard for the team.

“He had a very bad shoulder injury this year. He hasn’t really trained with us at all. During the last two weeks he has been much more involved and you can see what he can bring to the team, so I am delighted to have a young player with his talent and that position which is something we need.