Real Madrid’s signings prove the BBC’s time as undisputed starters might be over

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Real Madrid are ready to announce the signing of Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos and that proves that coach Zinedine Zidane might be ready to forget all about the 4-3-3 and the BBC’s time as undisputed starters upfront.

Counting Ceballos as a member of the first team and considering that James looks set to leave, Real Madrid will most likely keep Casemiro, Llorente, Modric, Kovacic, Kroos, Ceballos and even Isco fighting for four spots in the midfield. it would be almost impossible to find minutes for those men if Zidane keeps using the 4-3-3 formation.

Isco could also replace Ronaldo or Bale upfront, just like Marco Asensio. Right now, it’s hard to find room for the promising Ceballos, but the same thing could be said about Asensio last seas on and nobody expected the youngster to beat James and Lucas Vazquez.

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Still, it would probably be wise to send one midfielder on a loan deal, no matter whether that’s Llorente —again—, Kovacic or Ceballos himself. Knowing that Madrid promised Ceballos a spot on the first team in order to secure his signing this summer, Kovacic appears to be the one player who might have to find minutes elsewhere to develop as a player. His contributions last year were phenomenal and he offers speed with the ball on his feet, a trait not easy to find on the other midfielders, so Zidane might not like to see him leaving the club.

It’s clear that the coach might have decided to move on from the BBC and yet his roster might be too crowded even for his rotation policy. If Madrid keep all those midfielders on the roster this summer, it won’t be easy for Zidane to find enough minutes for them.

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