Analyzing Bayern Munich Midfielder Arturo Vidal's Form This Season

When Arturo Vidal signed for Bayern Munich this summer, there were mixed opinions. Fans of the German giants hailed the Chilean's capture as a major coup, as their side brought arguably the best midfielder of Champions League finalists and near-treble winners Juventus to the Allianz Arena. It took the sting out of losing hometown hero Bastian Schweinsteiger not long before.

Vidal's transfer was one that was several years in the making, as Bayern finally got the man they had narrowly and bitterly missed out on four years prior.

In June of 2011, the then-Bayer Leverkusen man told Bild (h/t Goal.com) about his intent to move to Munich: "I want to go to Munich. Now," he said. "I absolutely want the clubs to reach an agreement."

But Leverkusen refused to sell their prized midfielder to a direct rival, and after Juventus made an offer that the Werkself accepted, Vidal agreed to move to Turin. Then-Bayern president Uli Hoeness hit out at Vidal, according to Bild (via Goal). He claimed the Chilean had "broken his word" to move to Bayern the following summer on a free transfer if Leverkusen would not accept an offer in 2011.

When he signed for Juventus, Vidal was on the verge of world superstardom. Yet by the time he left for Munich, many fans of the Old Lady considered him to be damaged goods.

Those who had watched him closely had noted a decrease in his performance level after his first season in Turin, with the 2014-15 campaign being his least impressive (despite Juve's collective success) as he battled through the pain barrier. In December, he admitted (via Goal) that the knee he'd injured in May of 2014 was still bothering him.

Thus, at the time of his purchase, Bayern had taken a gamble on Vidal. On the one hand, he was a proven and experienced player at the highest level, who would have appeared to have time on his side at 28 years of age. On the other hand, Juve may have offloaded a "ticking time bomb," as Ben Jefferson of the Express claimed the Italian side considered their star last October.

So who did Bayern sign? The combative, hard-tackling hero or the fragile has-been? Early results seem to suggest a bit of both.

Vidal's highlights reel at Bayern looks rather impressive. He scored a beautiful goal from distance against Darmstadt, and he recently scored another beauty against Cologne after a late run from deep to connect with a low cross. In general, he's had some very flashy moments.

On the other hand, Vidal's level of performance has been mixed, the player offering moments of class but perhaps lacking the control over 90 minutes that he used to provide.

Speaking to Sky Deutschland in September, honorary president Franz Beckenbauer criticized Vidal (via ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld) for not putting in enough effort on the pitch: "We don't need footballers who don't move, we have enough. The hope in him was higher. He can certainly play better. You can play bad passes and lose direct duels, but the effort has to be right."

Vidal responded in his next game with the beauty of a goal he scored against Darmstadt, although for all its brilliance, that strike didn't address the issue Beckenbauer had raised of covering the hard yards and performing the ball-winning tasks required of a holding midfielder.

Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

In October, Beckenbauer again hit out at the 28-year-old, telling Sky Sport Germany (via Calcio Mercato) "Bayern didn't need Vidal. He's not in shape, and he did a poor job at preparing himself physically. He shouldn't be on the pitch if he isn't 100 percent."

Beckenbauer's commentary suggested the World Cup-winning player and coach believed Vidal's knees still weren't healthy. Yet Vidal had played in every Bundesliga game until that point, a record that has extended until now. If he indeed is still playing with pain, his many minutes on the pitch could explain why he isn't at his very best.

Pep Guardiola has always been quick to defend Vidal and, via Uersfeld's story from ESPN, said "I disagree with Mr. Beckenbauer… [Vidal] is a great player for us."

When it was pointed out that the Chilean had won a modest 36.4 percent of his challenges in the previous game against Olympiakos, he added: "I am not interested in stats."

"

@danielnyari that’s what gets you a slow midfield against deep defending opposition. Vidal not at 100% and then slow Lahm and old Alonso.

— Marco Fuchs (@WanderlustMarco) October 20, 2015"

At the same time, Guardiola's actions seem to suggest his confidence in Vidal isn't at its peak. After Bayern played a sluggish midfield game against Arsenal in their 2-0 Champions League defeat at the Emirates, the trainer benched his new signing for the home leg.

Without Vidal in the starting lineup, Thiago Alcantara ran the show and Bayern were 5-1 winners. The quickness in transition that characterized Vidal earlier in his career could have helped in the defeat, but he played a poor game and, along with Xabi Alonso, didn't offer the urgency needed. It was no surprise Vidal was on the bench for the return leg.

According to figures from Squawka, Vidal has won just 37 percent of his challenges for the ball. That figure is down from 46 percent last year, 43 percent in 2013-14, and 50 percent in 2012-13. He's committed approximately 50 percent more fouls than he's suffered and won only about a third of his tackles.

His passing accuracy is better than ever, however, and on several occasions his number of completed passes has set social media alight. According to Squawka Dave, his 118 successful passes against Hamburg in mid-August was 35 more than any other player could manage on the day.

On the other hand, distribution was not the reason for Vidal's signing. Bayern have plenty of accurate passers in midfield, principally Alonso and Thiago. And whereas Vidal often passes sideways (his summary on Squawka claims that only 45 percent of his passes in the Champions League were in a forward direction), the likes of Alonso and Thiago are more penetrative.

What Bayern instead needed was the Vidal who had shown promise at Leverkusen and taken the step to superstardom early in his Juventus career: a combative, hard-tackling midfielder to inject energy and pace in the midfield, shuttling the ball between the defense and attack.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Bastian Schweinsteiger's inability to keep the match pace high was the main reason his trainer wasn't a huge fan of his style of play (according to Spanish football expert Graham Hunter, speaking on talkSPORT radio), and likely played a role in the vice-captain's sale to Manchester United.

There were high hopes that Vidal would add a new dimension to the Bayern midfield, but he hasn't quite provided a different quality from his predecessor. That may in part explain his benching against Arsenal, as well as in the one-off DFB-Pokal match against Wolfsburg. Although he's played consistently in the Bundesliga, as of now, Vidal is not a starter in the matches that matter most.

As of yet, Vidal is a quality player and a great option as depth. Most clubs would benefit hugely from his services. But in a highly competitive Bayern team, he hasn't quite been everything that had been expected.

Looking forward, the relevant question regarding Vidal is whether he is simply taking some time to adjust to a new club and a new system of play, or if he actually is past his prime. Time will tell, but in either case, he has some work to do if he is to become the crux of the Bayern midfield.

@Mr_Bundesliga