AT GOODISON Park this afternoon Middlesbrough will have a tricky Argentine playing as an attacking midfielder with a huge bias towards using his left foot.

He will be short and have an eye for a goal. He does not, however, go by the name Diego Maradona.

Julio Arca has a tattoo of arguably the world's greatest ever footballer on his body and winces at the mere thought of any slight comparison.

But, as Sunderland fans would inform, there is a lot more to Arca's game than what Middlesbrough fans have witnessed since his summer switch down the A19 - Saturday could have been the first taste.

Having orchestrated Boro's 2-0 win over Championship-bound Charlton, the test for Arca is to follow that showing up with an equally impressive display at Everton this afternoon.

He was at the centre of most things bright against the Addicks. His tackle on Radostin Kishishev on 29 minutes was the start of a move in which Aiyegbeni Yakubu rounded Scott Carson to give the home side the lead.

Arca then celebrated his first goal for Boro when he arrowed a Mark Viduka knock down powerfully beyond Carson.

It was vindication of manager Gareth Southgate's decision to play the £1.75m buy in the centre of the pitch and could slow down his search for a new creative midfielder in the January sales.

Arca is starting to enjoy life, but don't mention Maradona.

"Don't compare me to Maradona, you can't, but he was my hero and it was good to play in the free role behind the strikers," he said.

"It is something I like because I am getting more involved in the game. I only played once or twice in six years at Sunderland in that role, but it is something that suits me.

"It is a position you have to work harder and I will do the best I can. George Boateng does a lot of hard work behind me and I am supposed to be the one who plays and knocks the ball around.

"A creative midfielder is the type of player the manager has been looking for and I want to do well in there, do things right and stay in the team. The more me and George play together the more we will understand each other."

It was a bold move by Southgate to try the normally left-sided Arca in that position against Wigan on December 9 and, three games later, he is starting to believe it is the way forward.

"Arca has been good for us in every game he has played but I felt he was terrific against Charlton," said Southgate. "No one can dispute the quality he has got and we need that creativity he brings to the team. I noticed when he played a couple of games in the reserves that he was very comfortable tucking inside. He is a good creator and he can also tackle. He doesn't lack in any department and is willing to put the work in.

"Defensively he is not a problem. Julio also has vision and composure on the ball. He is a player who gets around and isn't afraid to put the work in."

Boro head to Everton with a two point gap between themselves and the relegation zone and having ended a run of six matches without a win.

It is a different scenario to that which they faced at the Riverside four days ago, when they had dropped into the bottom three before a ball had been kicked becuase of West Ham's draw at Fulham.

"Some of the players knew and some of the players didn't," said Arca.

"But the confidence was in us and we were all excited to get out there and get the three points. We went for it from the beginning and it worked.

"We have two tough games coming up against Everton and Sheffield United, really tough. Everton are a team that might let us play a bit more but we are looking to get something from there and it would be great to win against Sheffield United, although we also know that won't be easy."

Middlesbrough know that, in Southgate's first as a manager, this is a season of unpredictability.

But the boss remains hopeful that, with the required tweaking in the month-long transfer window, things are starting to turn for the better.

"There was no sense of panic even though it is very close down the bottom," said Southgate, knowing his side could be back in the relegation zone tonight if results go against the.

"We have some tough games coming up away from home and our form on the road has not been good, so we must improve that.

"We are halfway through the season so this is a good guide for where we are going right and wrong."