The genius of Arturo Vidal

On the 5th of May 2013, Juventus stood on the verge of sealing their second successive Scudetto, three games before the end of the season. As a gutsy encounter looked to be heading towards a draw, Juventus were awarded a penalty, about an hour into the encounter. Everyone expected the eerily calm Andrea Pirlo to step up and once again display his set piece-taking mastery; instead, another equally important part of Juventus’s title winning campaign took charge.

Arturo Vidal ran up with a swagger reminiscent of his confident and ruthlessly efficient performances over the past two years, slotting the penalty home to hand Juventus their second title in a row. Arturo Vidal was befittingly voted Juve’s ‘Player of the Year’ by users registered on the official website, also making the ‘Serie A Team of the Year’ for the season, honours well earned by the combative Chilean not only over the course of the last two campaigns, but also over the entirety of his footballing career.

Arturo Vidal was born in a family of eight amidst humble beginnings in San Joaquin. His footballing talent was discovered by his uncle, who enlisted him in the youth squad of local Premiera division side Colo Colo. He made his professional debut as a substitute against rivals Universidad de Chile in the first leg of the Apertura Tournament final, a match which Colo Colo won 2-1, along with the championship.

The next season, Vidal played a key role as Colo Colo secured their second successive title. His performances in the continental Copa Sudamerica were what stood out, as he scored three goals in 12 appearances. His aggressive style of play and astounding work ethic didn’t go unnoticed, as he made the squad for the 2007 South American Youth Championship, finishing the tournament as the second top scorer (six goals.) Vidal’s performances in the tournament helped Chile qualify for the 2007 U-21 World Cup, where they finished 3rd. Vidal finished the tournament with two goals, racking up a remarkable tally of eight goals in 14 appearances for the U-21 team, all from central midfield.

His consistent displays caught the eye of numerous European clubs and scouts, but none more so than that of Bayer Leverkusen, who had been tracking his progress for a few years. So eager was Leverkusen’s footballing director Rudi Voller, that he flew from Germany to Chile to personally convince the 20-year-old Vidal to put pen to paper. He eventually signed for them in a deal which broke the national transfer record, worth $11 million. After a slow start in his first season in Germany, Vidal finally found his feet in his second season (2008-2009), featuring regularly as Leverkusen reached the German Cup final.

His highlight season was the last of his four-year spell at Leverkusen, as he helped them finish runners up in the league, scoring an impressive 10 goals and 11 assists (highest in that season) in just 33 appearances. Not surprisingly, big names came knocking on Leverkusen’s door, including the likes of Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Juventus. On the 21st of July 2011, Juventus pulled off arguably the steal of the season, signing him for just 10.5 million Euros on a five year deal.

Vidal started life in Italy as cover for Claudio Marchisio, but Antonio Conte tactically incorporated him in a three man central midfield comprising of him, Marchisio and Pirlo. Vidal finished the season with seven goals, also holding the distinction of making the highest number of successful tackles in the division. Juventus went the entire season unbeaten, winning their 28th Serie A title (30th, if the ones taken away from them during the Calciopoli scandal are included.) Vidal’s emergence as a dynamic core of a three man midfield coupled with Conte’s decision to let club legend Alessandro Del Piero leave coincided with a new era in terms of playing style for Juve, with the elimination of the ‘Trequartista’ or the attacking midfielder with absolute creative freedom.

Conte’s decision to use three deep lying midfielders – Vidal and Marchisio protecting Pirlo – paid off excellently, as the 33-year-old midfield maestro dictated play from deep and created openings with his delightful range, intelligence and accuracy of passing. In short, Arturo Vidal’s inclusion in the side has not only restored the smile on the face of the Old Lady of Turin, but has also boosted his growing credentials as a midfield must-have.

Arturo Vidal’s nickname at Juventus pretty much defines what the Chilean is all about. ‘Il Gurriero’ (The Warrior) stems from his insatiable wish to get stuck in, a steely resolve to win back possession and the confidence to never get overawed by the occasion. Operating as a box-to-box midfielder alongside the ingenious Andrea Pirlo and the industrious Claudio Marchisio, Vidal performs a multitude of roles and duties in the 3-5-2 preferred by Antonio Conte.

A glance at Vidal’s statistics this season offers us an insight into his importance in the Juve side. When compared to other notable names playing in similar positions, Vidal’s statistical parameters are a notch above the rest. As an attacking element, Vidal has contributed 10 goals and 8 assists in 31 appearances from central midfield, while Bastian Schweinsteiger has 7 goals and 3 assists in 28, Ramires has 5 goals and 1 assist in 35 games and Xabi Alonso has no goals and 5 assists in 28. Vidal also leads in the next most important attacking stat, with an average of 2 shots on target per game. Schweinsteiger comes second with 1.5, followed by Ramires with 1 and Alonso with 0.4 shots on target. Thanks to his clinical finishing and little interchanges in and around the box, Vidal proves to be a genuine threat in the attacking third.

Vidal leads the defensive department as well, with a mind-boggling average of 4.9 successful tackles per game (one of the highest in Europe); Ramires and Alonso with 3.2 come in at tied second, followed by Schweinsteiger with 2.8. Vidal leads the aggression chart too, with a 1.9 average foul count and 11 yellow cards. Schweinsteiger has an average of 1.6 and 4 yellow cards, Alonso 1.3 and 11 yellows and Ramires has an average foul count of 1.5 and 8 yellows and 1 red to his name. Vidal’s lethal tackling prowess and astute defensive positioning have made him an indispensable part of Juve’s defensive set up and PPP (Pirlo Protection Program). As a matter of fact, out of all the times that Arturo Vidal has featured for Juventus, they have lost only four league games in two years.

What makes these statistics even more overwhelming is Vidal’s ability to perform at such a high level of consistency, repeatedly putting in flawless performances. In Juve’s last 6 games of the past season, Vidal alone contributed five of Juve’s eight goals, netting three Man of the Match awards in the process (overall five in the season; Schweinsteiger – four, Alonso – two and Ramires – one.) His goals were responsible for 10 of the 18 points garnered by Juventus during this spell.

Tactically speaking, Vidal is adept at playing numerous positions, namely left back, left wing back, right back, central defensive midfield, central midfield, central attacking midfield and left wide midfield. At Juventus, Vidal plays as a box-to-box midfielder, making late runs into the box to assist the front line, also winning back possession to allow primary playmaker Andrea Pirlo to have more touches on the ball.

Technically gifted with an all round game as well as resolute physical and mental attributes, Arturo Vidal makes for an intimidating read on the opposition team sheet. With interest mounting in him even now as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are rumoured to be interested in his services, Vidal might again find himself on the move to a big club. And with more and more top European clubs employing the 4-2-3-1 as the default tactical formation, Vidal’s services as the ideal box-to-box midfielder might just see the demand for his services rise even more meteorically.