Arturo Vidal Helps Juventus Win Midfield Battle in Win over Borussia Dortmund

As Juventus welcomed Borussia Dortmund to Turin on Tuesday, the Bianconeri knew they were in for a stern test prior to their 2-1 victory. Finalists less than two years ago, Jurgen Klopp's side possessed precisely the Champions League pedigree the Serie A leaders are accused of lacking.

Massimiliano Allegri has gradually altered the previously established playing style, adopting an approach widely believed to be better suited to continental opposition. No longer wedded to Antonio Conte's back three, the Bianconeri have enjoyed greater freedom in attack without sacrificing defensive solidity.

Yet midfield remains the undoubted strength of the Italian giants, with a number combinations available to Allegri thanks to four truly excellent players. Claudio Marchisio may be the least heralded member of the quartet, but the Turin native is beloved among the supporters of his home-town club.

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He was excellent against Borussia Dortmund, filling a role on the right of midfield before moving centrally to cover for Andrea Pirlo after he departed with a first-half injury. Paul Pogba has joined Pirlo in needing little introduction, the pair possessing both the ability and reputation to make them household names across Europe.

Like the others, Arturo Vidal is a player of renowned quality, blossoming into one of the world’s finest midfielder’s since moving to the peninsula almost four years ago. Contributing significantly at both ends of the field, the Chilean may have laboured since undergoing knee surgery this summer, but he remains a vital component of this team.

The 27-year-old has at times lacked the dynamic edge and tenacity that are hallmarks of his play, yet he continues to make a major impact. Only Carlos Tevez (14) has bettered Vidal’s tally of six goals, while statistics from WhoScored.com show he leads the club in tackles, averaging 2.9 per game.

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It was a similar story on Tuesday night, where his performance was somewhat under the radar, but closer analysis shows he was essential to the positive result achieved by the Bianconeri. According to WhoScored.com, he failed to take a single shot and completed just one dribble over the 85 minutes he was on the field.

The same source shows he completed just 65.8 percent of his pass attempts, finding his team-mates on just 38 occasions during the game. This shows the clear disconnect that often happens between statistics and events on the pitch, with Vidal putting on a defensive masterclass to subdue Marco Reus.

That particular matchup was highlighted in my preview as being central to the outcome, and that certainly proved to be the case. No Juventus player made more tackles than Vidal’s tally of five, and the majority of those came directly against the German international.

Thanks to Giorgio Chiellini’s untimely slip, Reus did grab a vital away goal for Borussia Dortmund, but the 25-year-old was otherwise largely subdued. That was due in no small part to Vidal’s effort. He made just 36 passes at Juventus Stadium, which WhoScored.com shows is well below his Champions League average of 45.5 per game this term.

Reus also failed to register a key pass, having averaged two per game against the competition this season, with Vidal quickly closing him down whenever the ball came into his possession. Despite that Reus strike, Vidal clearly emerged the winner.

While it may not garner much attention, that was a major factor in the Juventus win, and one Allegri discussed in his post-match press conference. The coach said that his team purposely curtailed their attacking instincts to deny their opponents room to move into, telling Sky Sport Italia (via Football Italia):

"We prepared to invite Borussia forward, clog the midfield and therefore create spaces behind them. At this level you can’t try to dominate your opponents, so we aimed to make the most of their defensive weaknesses."

Thanks to Vidal, they executed that game plan perfectly, and a repeat in the second leg would likely be enough to see Juve progress to the quarter-finals.