Arsenal: When will we see THAT Dani Ceballos again?

Arsenal will likely roll Dani Ceballo back out there against Bournemouth, but I just want to know when we’re going to see THAT version of him again.

Arsenal had a distinct problem that arose around January of last season. Despite having Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Denis Suarez, they simply could not create chances. Their elite striking pair was starting for opportunity and no one could change it.

That’s what Dani Ceballos was brought in to fix. Maybe he’s not a No. 10, maybe he’s best as a box-to-box, industrious No. 8, but regardless of where you put him, his mantra is creating chances and integrating into the attack, linking up play.

We saw it for the first time against Burnley. Two assists, a ton of command, so much inspiration, and a whole new level of effectiveness. It was after that match that I declared him better than Mesut Ozil, an assessment I’m still clinging to.

We haven’t seen that Ceballos since the match. You know how I know? Because I haven’t compared him to Santi Cazorla since that time. Even in small, one-off plays. He just hasn’t looked like he did against Burnley.

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There haven’t been the spin moves, the ball retention, the do-everything that he proved that he can do early in the season.

With Mesut Ozil still effectively out of the club, Ceballos is still the primary creative threat in this midfield trio. Granit Xhaka has his faculties, and he’ll spray across some chances from time to time. Same goes with Matteo Guendouzi. But across this trio of versatility and diversity, it’s Ceballos who is most effective in getting the forwards involved.

So regarding this whole “we haven’t had enough chances lately” problem, that has to be a Ceballos issue. Which means it’s a Ceballos solution. Which is a good thing. I like trusting talented players to find their form. It’s rarely ever far away.

Could that be against Bournemouth? It’s likely. The Cherries are battered across the board. Their midfield is especially picked apart. If Ceballos is looking for an opening to get comfortable and settle into, this may well be it. And after that, the next logical stop is consistency.

The best of Ceballos is out there. It’s yet to come. Back. And it will. But in the meantime, maybe Real Madrid are being convinced to sell him to us at the end of this “no purchase option” loan.