Loanee Dani Ceballos puts on a show in full Arsenal debut

Dani Ceballos was handed his full debut in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Burnley on Saturday, and he did not disappoint, grabbing the assist on both gunner goals!

It was a tough, hard-fought victory for Arsenal in Saturday’s early kickoff, as they edged past Sean Dyche’s always-difficult Burnley 2-1, thanks to a couple of goals from the usual front-line suspects. Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring for Arsenal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed the victory, but it was the man of the match performance of midfield loanee Dani Ceballos, on his full debut for the club, that caught the eyes of many.

First of all, it’s easy to pinpoint the fact that Ceballos brings to Arsenal something they have not had since the days of Cazorla and Wilshere – an extremely technically gifted #8 that is capable of evading the press in midfield by retaining the ball with exquisite dribbling, or threading a pass or two.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1162731124268965890

At the peak of Ceballos’ performance against Burnley, you almost got the feeling of nostalgia, as if his style of play brought back a little taste of the flair and technical quality that Arsenal became so famous for under Arsene Wenger.

Ceballos is on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid until the end of the season, and it is understood that there is no mandatory or optional future fee for the player, so he is expected to return to the Bernabeu next year as of now.

The Spaniard was doing everything for Unai Emery’s side on Saturday, playing in a double pivot alongside the brilliant Matteo Guendouzi, just behind the always-improving Joe Willock, whom he interchanged with often during the match.

Ceballos’ off-the-ball play was one of the most pleasing aspects of his game. You always knew he was capable of pulling off the fine skills and passes, but intensity and efficiency without the ball is key in Emery’s system, and Ceballos showed that he is certainly capable of buying into that. His assist for Aubameyang’s winning goal came from him putting pressure on Gudmundsson, and he subsequently stripped the Iceland international of the ball, which then found its way to Aubameyang, who of course, managed to do the rest, as he usually does.

While Ceballos’ performance was sublime, it will be interesting to see how a player like him copes with more intense, tactical clashes against big sides. We may get the answer to that soon, as Arsenal take on Liverpool and Spurs in their next 2 matches. The Spaniard still has plenty of competition for midfield places, and there’s still a long season ahead, but so far, all the signs are pointing in the right direction in this loan deal.