If you had asked most people at the end of the 2011/12 season when Juventus claimed their first Scudetto since their 2005 title which they were subsequently stripped of who the best player at Juventus was and most would have answered Andrea Pirlo. It is widely accepted that the bearded playmaker was the main difference between Juventus and the rest of Serie A during that season and that his former club, AC Milan were fools to dispense with his services. This season though the tide has changed, Pirlo although a year older has still been playing well but he has been usurped by a certain Chilean international. Arturo Vidal, nicknamed “The Warrior” has been in sensational form this season for Juventus and he was voted Player of the Year by a poll on Juventus’ website.
When Vidal was signed by Juventus back in 2011 there was a lot of speculation about what sort of signing he would be for Juventus. He couldn’t have been a big money signing because he only cost €10.5 million and he was hardly a big name at the time. He was a very good player however and he came to Italy on the back of a tremendous season in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. At the time Conte hadn’t perfected his now trademark 3-5-2 formation and it was largely speculated that Vidal would be a back-up midfielder to first choices Claudio Marchisio and Pirlo. Conte had other ideas and he tweaked his formation so Pirlo became the sitter in midfield whilst Marchisio and Vidal were given license to roam both forward and backwards. This was a masterstroke and few Serie A defences could live with the midfield trio as they obliterated most before them.
The real strength to Vidal’s game is that he has so many strengths to his game; he really is a jack of all trades. He is equally capable of playing as a holding midfielder and as a number 10 (a role that has been mooted for him next year) but he is really is at his best when he plays as a box-to-box midfielder. Making vital tackles on the edge of the box before bursting forward and beating a few players or playing a defence splitting pass is common place for Vidal but his energy sets him apart. His ability to keep on running when most would need to stop and take a rest make it seem at times like Juventus are playing with an extra man.
Vidal’s numbers make for good reading as he is the team’s joint top scorer in Serie A with ten goals. He has scored more than forwards Quagliarella, Matri and Giovinco whilst Vucinic is the only player who can match him. He is also his team’s chief creator with more assists than anyone else in the league. He is without doubt the team’s most important player right now and he works perfectly in the Juventus set-up.
So why then would Juventus consider selling such a prized player? Well the truth is that at the moment they probably aren’t. Rumours had been rife at the end of the season and even in the last week or so that should Real Madrid appoint Carlo Ancelotti then the Italian would look to try and tempt Vidal away from Italy. That being said the player’s loyalty to Juventus is unquestionable and his determination to succeed in Turin there for all to see. If any midfielder is going to leave it looks like it could be Claudio Marchisio with his future increasingly uncertain.
Whether he stays or goes Vidal should be there and at 26 he has everything in place to become one of Juventus’ greats. He imposes himself upon teams and he makes Juventus an extremely difficult side to beat. Above all else he appears when Juventus need him the most. His goals have broken the deadlock on more than one occasion and he is the vital cog in the Juventus machine.