Arsenal vs Benfica: 4 talking points from Europa League draw

The Dani Ceballos Byproduct

Dani Ceballos played very well on Thursday. Was he outstanding? That’s debatable as what he offered the team he also took out of the team. Make sense? Didn’t think so.

In terms of his performance, some of his balls in behind and first-time touches were superb. The initial pass for the equaliser? Excellent. Delightful ball that if Odegaard had made would’ve melted social media. On top of that, he covered defensive space excellently and arguably offered more protection than Granit Xhaka.

However, for large parts of the first half and the second, the Arsenal of November time started to eek its way into the performance. The deep-lying midfield duo of Ceballos and Xhaka never ventured forward, the movement of the ball was slow – this was more Ceballos than Xhaka who was quite good with his two-touch – and going backwards became too often the option.

If Ceballos cut out 50% of his touches he’d be decidedly less divisive member of the squad. It’s interesting to say, admittedly, that the Spanaird played well but his involvement was also sadly a byproduct of Arsenal moving away from the high pressing style everyone thought they were building towards.

However, in his defence, Benfica were so compact in central areas that they forced Arsenal to take the easy option or to bypass the midfield entirely. They were horrific to watch but they succeeded in that regard. Furthermore, on the balance of the last two matches, Ceballos has played excellently. Solid at Leeds, solid in Rome.

Playing for a permanent deal?