Dani Ceballos’ resurgence: An unexpected surprise.

Dani Ceballos was all but out the doors of Real Madrid last summer. If a transfer fee had been agreed upon, Dani Ceballos would be a Real Betis player right now. Seventh in the midfield pecking order last season, Ceballos had only played the equivalent of 6.7 full games in LaLiga in 23/24. The situation looked almost impossible to improve, as even with the retirement of Toni Kroos, Ceballos was going to be behind the likes of Jude, Fede, Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Modrić and even Arda Güler. Yet, to everyones surprise, his role has been far larger than anyone could have expected. Still relatively small, Ceballos has played the equivalent of 5.7 full games in LaLiga already, almost his total from last season, and another 2 or so in all competitions. And, more importantly, he has looked very good in these games, providing the team with something it has been sorely lacking; a controlling presence in midfield.

A number of things have had to conspire for Ceballos to get his chance. Injuries in defense have forced Tchouameni to move into a CB role, removing one name from the midfield list. Camavinga has been the preferred DM option, and he has only Modrić and Arda to rotate with as the midfield options off the bench. While this has certainly been a factor, the bigger reason has been his stylistic profile. The departure of Kroos left a huge hole in Real Madrid’s midfield. Probably the greatest controller of all time, Kroos was instrumental in keeping the ball flowing for Madrid, dictating every aspect of play, spraying balls all over the pitch, and being a constant passing option who almost never lost the ball. His departure created a stylistic hole for the team. Tchouaméni is a natural 6 who cannot move all over the pitch to be a passing option, and his range is limited. Camavinga and Fede are natural box-to-box players whose strengths lie in their ball carrying and 1v1 duels on and off the pitch. Jude is an 8/10 hybrid who also is an excellent carrier, and is best utilized as a creator and secondary goal threat. Thus, a controller was lacking.

The natural replacement to Kroos is Modric. A legend of the game who has similar passing and press resistance to Kroos, Modrić is as good as it gets. However, a 39-year-old Modrić cannot be expected to play every game, and should not be played that much either. A 39-year-old Modrić does not have the legs that Ceballos does, and Ceballos has gotten a consistent run in the team.

A very technically gifted player, Ceballos is a prototypical Spanish midfielder. Constantly moving and presenting himself as an option, Ceballos is involved in every phase of build-up. Excellent under pressure, Ceballos is not only a constant passing option, but also a reliable one. Ranking in the 95^th percentile for touches, passes received and passes made for midfielders, and 96^th percentile for carries, Ceballos is very heavily involved in play. A player who is almost ubiquitous, constantly receiving and then recycling or progressing the ball, Ceballos has filled in the niche Kroos used to fill. Ceballos even positions himself in the left half-space that Kroos made his home in, helping the left side overload and being a reliable option for the likes of Rüdiger and Mendy to pass to progress the ball. Fulfilling this role exceptionally well, Ceballos has more than earned his recent gametime, and will prove to be important for the team, especially against opponents who choose to sit deep and give Madrid the ball. Adding a level of composure to the team, Ceballos helps Madrid orchestrate from deep, and retain the ball.

Ceballos is also a very hard worker defensively, completing 2.46 tackles per game, a mark that ranks him in the 73^rdpercentile for midfielders. His ubiquitous presence is true on and off the ball, and Ceballos works as hard as he can in every game he plays. Modrić is a similarly hard worker, but his age means that he cannot keep it up for as long as the Spaniard can.

While Ceballos has been very good in this role, his role highlights a very key systematic issue for Real Madrid. Ceballos has been excelling in this role because the system around him is crumbling. With no clear instructions, and no consistent build-up patterns, the midfield is left with far too much to interpret on their own. Jude and Fede are heavily misused, and their technical qualities are being wasted because of the poor system in place. A more structured approach would allow the ball to be progressed in a systematic way, creating opportunities for the plethora of excellent carriers to do their thing. This would also lift the burden on Ceballos, and allow him to excel in a structure that elevates his qualities even further.

Ceballos has proven to be extremely useful and quite important in this run of games. His performances have been very useful to a struggling side, and his stylistic profile has gone a long way in solving a number of systematic issues. With the teams struggles showing no signs of stopping, Ceballos will need to keep this level of performance up if Madrid are to have a winning season.