Dani ceballos has been in it for a year and a half Arsenal, where it has been consolidated, although it always points to Real
Madrid as the great goal of his career. A goal on hold for the moment, but for which he is preparing by taking the witness of the great Spanish midfielders who have triumphed in England. In a talk with Efe, the Utrera reviews his current moment and takes a look at the past and present.
What has changed in the team in these last two weeks in which they have started to win?
The turning point was the victory against Chelsea. Until then we had ups and downs and we could not find victory. We were clear that we were working well, but the ball did not go in and we said it and we talked about it in the locker room, we had to be calm that everything was going to click and we were going to reverse the situation. This has been the case and we are in good dynamics.
Did they fear for Arteta's head?
I have been here for a year and a half and I have already experienced the dismissal of a coach. You do see when the club really supports a coach 100%. We had a bad defeat against Burnley in a key game and there I think it was a turning point that could have put Arteta's future into question. I think the club did the best they could by supporting him because since his arrival, the team has done nothing but improve. Everyone who loves Arsenal must support and trust him. There is no better coach for this club than Arteta.
In January 2020 he wanted to leave Arsenal, but in the end he stayed and even returned on loan later. What has changed this year?
At that time I was just arrived after being two / three months unemployed due to the first long injury of my career. You enter a cluster of things that I had not considered until then and was obsessed with playing again. I was not having minutes, but I realized that the best thing was to work and reverse the situation and be important. “If I do this I will play again.” It couldn't be clearer. I worked like an animal, I put myself at a high physical level and when it was like that I showed it in the field.
The Premier has been characterized by having Spanish footballers of his style, such as David Silva, Santi Cazorla, Cesc Fabregas … Do you want to follow in his footsteps?
They are three players who are big words, but they came to the Premier League in another era. It was less physical than today, where it is a continuous round trip, where the muscle prevails ahead of the tactical level, of the associative game … From my point of view it is a great decision that I made, to come to Arsenal, because it is making a better player, but it is obvious that I have played in the Spanish League and the Premier and my game stands out more in Spain, because it is a more combinative game, to have the ball and it is where I am most comfortable.
When talking about the associative game, it comes to mind that a player like Mesut Özil has not had a place in this Arsenal in almost a year. What happened?
Mesut has given a lot to Arsenal. Since last year he had not been playing, but it was a surprise for everyone that he was not registered to play in the league. But hey, I think the coach has a very wide list of 32 players and he always has to leave someone out. Mesut, due to his career and experience, is a case of media coverage, but the coach had to choose and he made that choice.
How do you see Madrid from afar?
I follow Madrid every game if it doesn't coincide with ours. It is a team that started regularly and then took on a good dynamic where it was able to get five or six consecutive victories … It is a difficult year in which everyone wants to arrive in better conditions at the end of the season, especially with the European Championship. .. There have been injuries and with that it is difficult to give continuity to the players … It has had ups and downs, but Madrid has a squad for all three titles.
The other day the singer C Tangana said that his latest album is like Zidane's Madrid. What does that phrase tell you?
Zidane's Real Madrid is a champion team, we have seen that in its three four years, it has only won. If you qualify it as a Zidane team, it is because it will be a success.
Does Real Madrid need a generational change?
I do not know what to tell you. If we did a survey, many would say yes and many would say no. When you see playing at the level that Luka Modric plays, at the level that Sergio Ramos plays … Players who are over 33 years old and are at a very high level and playing everything. You start to think that age does not matter, but managing the load of minutes.
For you, playing alongside a midfielder like Modric must have been a brutal experience
There are people who may believe that when I left Betis I lost two or three years of my career, but no. I take it as an apprenticeship. I didn't play as much as I wanted, but what I learned from Luka, Toni, Casemiro, Isco … It makes you a better player and your level goes up. It was a correct decision.
Is it a utopia to arrive at Madrid young and be a regular starter?
Since I can remember, there have only been two players who have come to Madrid young, with less than 21 years, which is what I arrived with, and who have been headlines: One is Sergio Ramos and another Karim Benzema, both two team legends. The opportunity to play for Real Madrid happens once in a lifetime. An offer came to me and I accepted it because I thought it was the best for me. Obviously I still think that I can succeed at Real Madrid, but you have to go little by little. But being the undisputed starter in Madrid with less than 24 years is very difficult to achieve.
Will Madrid be able to let a footballer like Ramos escape?
I believe that both Sergio and Real Madrid are condemned to understand each other. He is a player who has given everything to the club and vice versa. He said that he would even play for free in Madrid because he wants to retire there and Florentino is very proud that Sergio is retiring in Madrid.
Would you play for free at Madrid?
Everybody would. Any player who wants to succeed in a big game is that there is no better team than Madrid.
What would they have to say to him so that in the summer he wants to stay at Madrid the following season?
They don't have to tell me anything. It would be to have a talk with the coach and the coaching staff that is in that moment and know that I will have equal opportunities with the rest of the players. From there you have to earn it on the field.