Months pass and Toni Kroos’ long shadow continues to loom over the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid have managed to cope with the departure of many of their legends, however In the case of the German, it is difficult to replace the many functions he performed on the pitch..
One of the reasons why whites have a hard time forgetting their predecessor “8” was his role as a holding midfielder, a rare figure in the team.. While there are great players like Valverde or Kamavinga who have increased their participation on the ball, they are footballers who reign in chaos, but who. They have more trouble when it comes to relaxing the game.
When the team needs a break, all eyes turn to Modric, who is also very dynamic, has enough quality to distribute from one side to the other. However, another player’s weight in the game has increased in recent weeks. Dani Ceballos. The former Betis player failed to establish himself in any of his five seasons at Concha Espina in eleven, but In this sixth, it makes a big impact in terms of minutes and relevance due to the lack of organization of the midfielders.
Some facts about Dani Ceballos in La Liga.
He does not fill the void of Kroos, but inside the white dressing room He is the most similar football player to the German in his profile. They occupy the same position on the pitch and the Andalusian could play an important role in this very difficult season for Ancelotti’s team When it was available, it stood out on the greenalso due to the plague of victims that Real Madrid has. “I really liked Ceballos, he played a great game”. His big moment could be waiting for him in the Spanish capital.
The numbers back him up
Numerically, Dani Ceballos stands out for Real in some of themas in the number of passes made or the number of times he touches the ball.Statistics that speak to his teammates’ trust in him when it comes to giving him the ball and the responsibility he takes to ask and distribute the play. Only Modric approaches him, which further confirms the idea that he is a unique profile.
Dani Ceballos warm map against Atalanta.
As for the transitions in 90 minutes, The Utrera man is the best with 88.5 points, followed by Modric (79.1) and Rudiger (68.5).. Moreover, 9.47 is given in the last third of all, which is surpassed only by the Croatian (9.76). Additionally, ’10’ and ’19’ also top the progressive gear chart.that is, those that serve to advance meters inside the field. Ceballos, in addition, the one who makes the most contact with the ball per minute, with 1.11 touches.
True, Dani excels in quantity, she also shines in quality, having Team-best passing success rate of 93.9%. These numbers only include players like Mendy, Rudiger, Asensio or Chuameni who are used to safer offloads.However, he not only shines for his attacking side but has also improved tremendously in the defensive aspect, being; The player with the most shots and dribbles is knocked down in the team within 90 minutes.
Perhaps he won’t become a regular in Ancelotti’s starting line-up, but Ceballos has finally found his place and he knows how to take advantage of it, giving the team what it needs, what it lacks in the absence of someone to impose its rhythm. The Andalusian has been primed to become a master of midfield. Good news for him, good news for his teammates and, above all, good news for Ancelotti. because the best Ceballos returns just when he was needed the most.