Strange day ahead as Arca faces Sunderland for the first time

MUCH has changed since the day Julio Arca made the short move from Sunderland to Middlesbrough, when he became Gareth Southgate's first signing at the Riverside Stadium in the summer of last year.

But forget the extent of the sums of money splashed by Black Cats boss Roy Keane or the change of power inside the Stadium of Light. One of the most dramatic alterations has been the emergence of the left-sided Arca as a top class central midfielder.

There will be those on Wearside questioning the effectiveness of him playing such a role, despite firmly establishing himself as one of the first names on Southgate's team sheet in the last ten months. Those who care to remember him from his days in Argentina, however, would not raise such doubts.

He was a graduate of the famous Argentinos Juniors Academy, a school which has produced household names over the last three decades and beyond. Diego Maradona, Fernando Redondo, Juan Roman Riquelme and Carlos Tevez - to name just four.

But where progress to many of those arrived effortlessly, Arca has found nurturing his talent through hard work has brought its rewards. Just as it did in 2001, when he was granted his dream move to the Premier League.

It was a £3.5m move that hit the headlines here - with The Northern Echo claiming Sunderland had signed a teenage wonderkid - but was regarded as a pretty low-key occasion in his homeland.

This was the case despite his reputation in Argentina. From the age of 14, Arca was under the guidance of Jose Pekerman - the man responsible for the development of his country's youth sides.

Pekerman enjoyed considerable success, winning three Under-20 World Cups, and in the 2001 triumph it was Arca who was handed the captaincy.

Nevertheless, despite his reputation, he had signed for a club he had not even heard of - a mark of the persuasive powers of Peter Reid, the man responsible for convincing him to move to Wearside.

And after a successful debut - when he scored against West Ham in September 2000 - the man from the Quilmes province of Buenos Aires endeared himself to the Wearside supporters.

But six years and some 177 appearances later for the Black Cats, Arca moved on. Disgruntled with having endured two traumatic relegation campaigns and determined to play at the highest level.

And this afternoon, for the first time since he moved down the A19 to Middlesbrough - for half the price Sunderland paid for him at the age of 19 - he will face his old club.

It will be a strange occasion, he remains adored by the Wearside fold, still lives in that area and has been seen at the Stadium of Light on a few occasions since his departure.

Arca, however, remains intent on claiming the victory which could propel Middlesbrough into the top half of the table for the first time this season.

"I will prepare for this game as I always do. It will be an emotional occasion for me but I can't afford to think for too long about the past," he said, honestly.

"It is obvious that I will feel strange playing against Sunderland. This was a club where I played for six years and I loved my time there. I had a special relationship with the fans during that time and it's a time I still hold close to my heart.

"But when I am on the pitch I will be doing the best I can to win the game - that has to be my priority. I will respect the Sunderland fans and the club, as I always do. But I want to win."

There will clearly be a few Sunderland fans aggrieved by the way Arca left after they lost Premier League status in May 2006. The vast majority, however, would have preferred to have seen him return in the summer when Roy Keane was knocked back.

Instead Arca will be at the hub of the Middlesbrough midfield this afternoon, determined to showcase the sort of talent in the middle he often illustrated down the left for Sunderland.

"I hope I will get a good reception but I can't decide that, that's going to be up to the Sunderland supporters," he said. "I did the best I could when I was there. There is no hiding from the fact that I had a good relationship with the fans, even through difficult times."

Of Keane's squad, only Nyron Nosworthy and Dean Whitehead were regulars during Arca's final season at the Stadium of Light. While Danny Collins, Daryl Murphy and Grant Leadbitter were on the periphery.

Since Keane's appointment, such has been the changes at every level of the club, there are few still around the training field who Arca got close to.

In a perfect world, the 26-year-old would have achieved everything he wanted at Sunderland. That, however, never materialised and he was forced to work under five permanent managers.

That in itself indicates the struggles following successive seventh place finishes in Arca's first two years there. The blame for failure has been pinned largely on former chairman Bob Murray and his board.

But with Murray gone, and Niall Quinn's Drumaville consortium in control, Arca feels Sunderland are heading in the right direction.

"It's exciting for the club to be back in the Premier League," said Arca, aware that Keane spent £13m more than Southgate in the summer.

"It's wonderful to see that. Everything has changed there in the two years that I have spent away. They have different players, a different manager and a different board as well. It's a complete turnaround.

"In the last ten years the club was up and down and always changing. We did have a couple of good seasons but we also disappointed in a few years. It's always hard to bring players in when you have a record of not doing so well."

Arca may still hold Sunderland close to his heart but there is no danger of his professional pride dipping. He is well aware of the importance of the need to ensure Middlesbrough return to winning ways today.

Last weekend's crushing defeat at West Ham was surprising, given how Southgate had witnessed his team turn in their best performance under his stewardship at the Riverside in their previous game against Birmingham.

"I wish Sunderland all the best for the season, but not too much on the two occasions that we will play them, starting on Saturday," he said. "It's going to be strange when I return to the Stadium of Light and play there in April, but even when they come to the Riverside it will be strange."

Arca will not be the only member of the Middlesbrough team to have appeared for Sunderland during the last few years.

Stewart Downing, Teesside born and bred, spent two months with Boro's North Sea neighbours towards the end of 2003 under Mick McCarthy.

It was a period which helped the left-winger gain the sort of confidence which helped him develop into a Premier League and World Cup star with England.

And during that short loan spell, Downing and Arca forged a fine understanding down the left side. With the latter regularly overlapping the former from his left-back position to boost Sunderland's push towards the Championship's play-offs.

"We all knew Stewart Downing was going to go on to big things," said Arca. "He slotted straight in and surprised us all by how good he was at that age. Since then he has just got better and better.

"He is the kind of player who can change a game and he was then. He is stronger now, quicker. All he needed at that age was experience of the Premier League."

Given Downing's success on the field at the Riverside ever since, Arca feels his close friend will continue to flourish and add to his 14 caps for his country.

It would, however, seem unlikely that Arca will follow his club-mate onto the international scene, but there is a feeling at Middlesbrough that he deserves a chance.

Arca's only senior call-up was a warm-up for the 2004 Olympic team - when Sunderland failed to release him, a decision he is still paying for now - so his dream is likely to go unfulfilled.

Middlesbrough are unlikely to be too concerned, keeping their midfield playmaker fresh and fit could be the key to the Teessiders hitting their own gold - a return to European football