Dani Ceballos hails Alexandre Lacazette as Arsenal’s de facto No.10 and likens forward to Karim Benzema Ceballos has likened Lacazette’s role to Benzema’s at Real Madrid (Picture: Getty)Ceballos added: ‘When City pressed us we found spaces going out with our goalkeeper. ‘When you play with your goalkeeper you always have one more player: he is the one who has to hold the ball until a forward jumps to press it and there, through a third man, find the exit. ‘Our third man is Lacazette, who does what Karim does in Madrid.’ Advertisement Dani Ceballos says Alexandre Lacazette is key in the way Mikel Arteta sets up his team (Picture: Getty)Dani Ceballos has highlighted the important role Alexandre Lacazette plays in the way Mikel Arteta sets up his team at Arsenal and likened the forward’s position to that taken up by Karim Benzema at Real Madrid.On the face of it, Lacazette has had his worst season yet in front of goal for the Gunners, managing just 12 goals in all competitions compared to 19 last term and 17 in his debut campaign at the Emirates, and the 29-year-old has faced some criticism for his level of performance.Eddie Nketiah’s recent breakthrough means Lacazette is no longer guaranteed a starting spot and there have even been rumblings that Arsenal would be open to selling the striker this summer. FA Cup final: Arsenal preview press conferenceTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Play VideoLoaded: 0%0:00Progress: 0%PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration Time 21:18FullscreenFA Cup final: Arsenal preview press conferencehttps://metro.co.uk/video/fa-cup-final-arsenal-preview-press-conference-2220808/This is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.However, it’s clear Lacazette has an admirer in Ceballos, who has hailed the Frenchman as Arsenal’s de facto No.10 in Mesut Ozil’s absence and underlined his work which often goes under the radar when playing against ‘dominant’ teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENT‘Lacazette plays in a similar position to Karim Benzema at Madrid. Laca likes to come to play and moves well in that area’ the Arsenal loanee told Spanish outlet El Pais.‘The only way to defend as a block is to be very close, and that the nine is that player who is practically a ten. ‘When defending against very dominant teams, such as Manchester City or Liverpool, the position of ten is vital so that they do not have freedom with the ball and Laca has done it perfectly. ‘Then Pierre [Aubameyang] and Nico [Pepe], the wingers, practically act as forwards.’ Comment Advertisement Ceballos has worked his way back into Arteta’s side after a mixed start (Picture: Getty)Ceballos added: ‘I like to be in contact with the ball over and over again and if I lose it, I will ask for it again quickly to get rid of the error. ‘It is the only way to gain confidence and dominate the game. ‘After all, the more you master this, the more opportunities you have to influence a match and win games.’More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing ArsenalSpeaking ahead of the FA Cup final, Ian Wright heaped praise on Ceballos for the way he worked his way back into the team after a mixed start at Arsenal and claimed the Spaniard simply has to start at Wembley.‘Ceballos has been fantastic,’ the legendary ex-Arsenal striker told Arseblog.‘When you hear Mikel talking about him before the trip to Dubai, they were questioning his application and he wasn’t really sure about how he was gonna go.AdvertisementAdvertisement‘He’s worked on that, he’s got himself in the team, he’s now a focal point of what we’re doing in respects of creativity and I think he’s somebody that has to play‘When you look at people who are not buying into Mikel Arteta’s plan and how it’s turned out for Dani Ceballos, it’s a real bloody shame. It’s a real shame.’What will the result be at Wembley?Arsenal win0%Chelsea win0%Share your resultsShare your resultsTweet your resultsFollow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more stories like this, check our sport page.MORE: Martin Keown highlights key battle ahead of FA Cup final and makes worrying Aubameyang claimMORE: Ian Wright explains why Bukayo Saka should start on the bench for Arsenal against Chelsea in FA Cup final Arsenal v Chelsea: Frank Lampard previews FA Cup FinalTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Play VideoLoaded: 0%0:00Progress: 0%PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration Time 12:16FullscreenArsenal v Chelsea: Frank Lampard previews FA Cup Finalhttps://metro.co.uk/video/arsenal-v-chelsea-frank-lampard-previews-fa-cup-final-2221008/This is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Arteta hoping to keep Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid for another season, with the midfielder greatly impressing after forcing his way back into the side in February, and the latest reports suggest Arsenal are closing in on an agreement.‘I have been very happy at Arsenal. If I had to choose Arsenal again, I would,’ the Spain international continued. ‘I feel I am a leader in this Arsenal team and an important player with responsibility, surrounded by people who believe in me.’ Metro Sport ReporterSaturday 1 Aug 2020 2:15 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link3.6kShares read more