The influence of Arteta's tactical system on Arsenal gradually appeared in the second half of the season. His more coordinated tactics made Arsenal's attack sharper and defense more active, and the final result was that the players who had been mediocre before showed their own characteristics, and Cevallos was one of them. What is Cevallos's role at Arsenal? How did he adapt to Arta's tactical system? Through the analysis of this article, we may find out why Arsenal will keep him at Emirates Stadium in the new season.
As a typical Spanish player who combines creativity and skill, Cevallos's initial problem is that he must adapt to the Premier League which emphasizes speed and confrontation. He first joined Arsenal at a bad time. At that time, the team did not have a winning strategy, and the head coach rarely used plan B in the game. Arsenal are not creative in midfield, especially when providing high-quality passes for the front line.
A large part of the reason for Arsenal's weak attack is that their strikers lack sufficient support, which leads to the disconnection between strikers and midfielders. Cevallos was bought by Arsenal as a "temporary" solution to this problem. However, what Arsenal overlooked was that his characteristics did not match the role of attacking midfielder. This doesn't mean that he can't send the ball to the last third area to create scoring opportunities, but he is more used to retreating in the central area to control the ball, rather than staying at the front of the penalty area to provide more support for the front line.
Cevallos hopes to help the team organize the backcourt attack by retreating, so that the defensive line and the midfield can be effectively connected. That's why Cevallos's appearance in midfield can't solve the problem of Arsenal's weak attack, but his joining also reveals a signal that Arsenal need to make changes in the existing tactical system to maximize Cevallos's advantage.
When Ceballos first came to Arsenal, his recovery from midfield to middle left Arsenal with more sideline space in defense. The dense midfield position led to more space being used by opponents, and Cevallos didn't stop the opponent's pass. When attacking, the distance between the midfield and the front line is widened, and opponents will use this space to put pressure on Arsenal, so that Arsenal's attack cannot be effectively established in the early stage. Arsenal's tactical system makes it almost impossible for Ceballos to make use of his own advantages to contribute to the offensive and defensive ends of the team.
On the first day as head coach, Arteta made it clear that it was necessary to build a tactical system with clear formation structure and smooth operation. He carefully analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of each player and their overall performance. This change has also brought immediate results. All the players on the field are improving their position awareness, because each player is defined with a very clear role, including Ceballos. Through simple fine-tuning formation and division of responsibilities, Arta made Cevallos do his best to control the ball, and pushed the attack forward through his powerful passing and dribbling skills. At the same time, due to the compact formation, Ceballos always has teammates around him to cooperate.
Under Arta's new tactical system, Arsenal has a better cover in attack promotion, which gives Ceballos enough space to push the attack from his own restricted area to the other's restricted area, which has become a key link in the team's offensive and defensive transformation. Cevallos used his short pass and creativity, and his teammates moved more deeply than usual. He always creates opportunities and uses his possession and passing range to successfully advance the attack. He often connects with his teammates on the defensive end and acts as an outlet for passing the ball in a more backward position. His position is very important for opening the initial pass channel, especially for teams under great pressure.
Cevallos is the key to Arsenal's offensive organization. Above, he either gives the full-back the choice of passing the ball to the middle area or attacking from the middle with the ball. In a word, Cevallos's running without the ball and holding the ball are very important for the team's offensive link.
Cevallos often retreats to his own half, uses his possession and speed to reach the last third area quickly, and provides high-quality passes for strikers. Cevallos can contribute 3.03 dribbles and 2.33 runs every 90 minutes, and he can provide perfect support for Arteta's attack system.
Cevallos's ability to run without the ball and control the ball in the penalty area improved Arsenal's efficiency in front of the goal. He can pass the ball for the last third area 9.03 times per game, and can often occupy the space in the opponent's ribs to contain the opponent's defenders.
Cevallos's spatial awareness and passing judgment often give Arsenal an advantage in the last third area and increase their creativity. His dribbling and passing ability can help the team keep possession of the ball and create opportunities in many situations. Only when he is in a very backward position will he not take part in the attack. Cevallos occasionally bypasses the opponent's defense with a long pass and sends the ball directly to the last third area, so that other teammates can use the frontcourt space more effectively to create more threats.
Another advantage of Cevallos on the offensive end is his set-piece technique. He can always be a corner referee and share the responsibility for Pepe. At the same time, he will get some free kicks. Due to the lack of excellent shooting skills, he rarely poses a direct threat in front of the goal, but he occasionally provides extra firepower for Arsenal's attack by shooting from outside the penalty area.
What impressed Cevallos most was his balance of attack and defense. He can make a great contribution to the defensive end of the team in the transition stage of attack and defense, especially in regaining possession of the ball. Because Arteta's pressure strategy has been improved, Cevallos can take the initiative to put pressure on the frontcourt to regain possession of the ball. He can contribute 5./kloc-0 interceptions per game, which also proves his efficiency on the defensive end.
Ceballos can send 8.24 defensive confrontations per game, which is the necessary data for his position. The success rate (57.83%) is very close to Kantor's in Chelsea. His contribution to interception is urgently needed by Arsenal on the defensive end, because most of their problems on the defensive end are caused by the lack of dominance in the midfield. Cevallos's defense is mainly to reduce the opponent's passing space and interfere with the opponent's passing route, and his ability to grasp the defensive opportunity will be further improved in the future.
Cevallos's performance in creativity, ball propulsion and passing is above average. His passing ability is also truly reflected in his data performance. The only below-average offensive indicators are his contribution in the penalty area and his shooting. Cevallos's statistics show his contribution to the passing in the last third area, and also show that his passing accuracy is above average. His data on defensive confrontation and interception are impressive, and his times of confrontation far above average also reflect his enthusiasm on the defensive end.
As mentioned in the above analysis, Cevallos is indeed a very valuable addition to Arsenal's lineup, and he also conforms to Arta's tactical concept. Although he still has a lot to improve, his performance in midfield can help the gunners achieve a more balanced performance in all aspects at this stage.
Cevallos performed well at both ends of the attack and defense. He played the role of B2B more, which gave him more freedom and space to be creative in midfield. Considering that his loan at Arsenal has stood the test, it is a wise and necessary decision for Arsenal to let him stay at Emirates Stadium without much action during the transfer period.
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