I caught up with Sunderland legend, former Middlesbrough midfielder, and all-around nice guy Julio Arca this week to chat about the upcoming Wear-Tees derby. The Argentinian, who now plays for South Shields FC, is also a youth coach for Back to Basics, and we managed to speak to him about his thoughts on the fixture, his experiences of the clash and his opinion on the youth in the Sunderland side this year.
1. Hi Julio, thanks for speaking to Read Sunderland! Firstly, who do you see as either teams danger men on Sunday?
Hi Chris, no problem! I think the key player for Boro will be their new star striker Alvaro Negredo who will be a handful for the Sunderland defence. Jermain Defoe as always will be the Black Cats’ main man. He can grab a goal out of nothing and these derbies can often be settled by the one goal.
2. What are your memories of the Wear-Tees derby as a player?
Playing in a derby is always great, the atmosphere, the passion, and the intensity in these games are very good. It’s not going to be any different this weekend, with both teams looking to get their first victory of the new campaign and start the season well by gaining some momentum.
3. At the minute you’re working with youngsters across the region. What are your thoughts on the youngsters who have been breaking into the Sunderland fold in recent months?
It’s always good to see young players arriving in the first team, and it is great to see a manager giving them the opportunity in David Moyes and previously, Sam Allardyce. Hopefully, we will see some more during the season following Lynden Gooch’s impressive showing last weekend. The Sunderland academy is always working hard to give the young players a better and bigger opportunity to become professional footballers and that bodes well for the future of the club.
YouTube: Julio Arca… moments
It is hard to mention only one player because we had such a fantastic squad when I first arrived at Sunderland. We worked superbly together and we showed passion during every game, which is something that the fans always want to see. If you have players that care about the club then hopefully the results will follow.
5. Finally Julio, can we get a scoreline prediction for Sunday’s match?
Both sides performed well in their opening games of the season last weekend and deserved more than what they ended up with. Looking at the two teams I think I will sit on the fence with an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light this Sunday.
