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When Arturo Vidal was bought by Barcelona for £20m in the summer, it lured a lot of criticism as the Chilean did not possess the technical skillset to feature for the Catalan club week in, week out. Comparisons were being drawn to a similar physical player Barca signed back in 2015, Arda Turan. He turned out to be a massive flop. It is safe to say that he has made his performances go oranges and apples with the initial opinions. He has now turned out to be a solid box-to-box midfielder Barca never knew they want.
Before moving to Barcelona, Vidal scored 22 goals and 18 assists for Bayern Munich in Bundesliga. Adding to his goal and assist tally, the dynamic skillset he brought in both attacking and defensive areas was exemplifying.
Arturo was also joined by Arthur Melo, following the departure of club legend Andre Gomes, Paulinho and club legend Andres Iniesta in the middle of the park. And they both have shared a fair amount of game time under the tutelage of Ernesto Valverde this season.
Barcelona usually set up in a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 with Sergio Busquets being the heartbeat of the midfield. What Vidal brings is his fluidity which smoothens transitions. With his physical strength, he is able to shield the ball and brush aside opponents in a press. This helps Cules' possession-based approach towards the game. He provides both steel and swagger to the team.
The former Juventus man also likes to play layoffs and create chances in the opposition half, something which we never saw him doing earlier in his career. And the way he does it, it is inevitable to say he is not skipping Iniesta-Xavi tutorials. When transitioning to attack, he also possesses a great threat in front of the goal, purely because of his veil to surge in the box and exceptional positional play. In Barca's 4-3 defeat to Real Betis, Vidal's goal came because of the position he was in; Leo Messi played in a beautiful through ball to Munir El Haddadi which lured the goalkeeper freeing the Chilean.
Vidal along with Luis Suarez leads the press in the opposition half. His herculean tackling ability and brilliant mind reading help him to cause havoc in the defence by either intercepting a pass or by brushing aside defender which creates big spaces for Barca's forward to capitalize. His physical approach, energy, and stamina also make him a great aerial threat alongside Pique in set-pieces and crossing situations. The goal against Real Madrid was a perfect example of the same. Ousmane Dembele picked a cross just after taking on a defender and Vidal was in the correct spot to plant his efforts in the back of the net minutes after coming off the bench to seal the game.
His hardworking and never-say-die attitude has helped him build connections on the field too. He has joined the list of Messi's acquaintances already. He has also established a solid partnership with Busquets and Samuel Umtiti. Credit should also go to Ernesto Valverde and the team board for securing his services for a cheap price. If he continues to put on similar performances, he will soon appear as a highway robbery.
He is now entering his final years on the football pitch. A footballing legend, he has been an important player for top teams in Europe. In a couple of seasons at maximum, we could see him bidding goodbyes to the Camp Nou faithful. It is safe to say to not judge a book by its cover.
