Complete Tactical Profile of Bayern Munich Midfielder Arturo Vidal

For much of Pep Guardiola's tenure at the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich looked extremely strong but lacked in a bit of balance. During the Catalan coach's third and final campaign in Bavaria, his side appeared stronger and more competitive than in either of the two seasons prior, and much of this was down to the presence of Arturo Vidal in midfield.

The Chile international took some time to settle and was a disappointment for the first few months of his career at Bayern, especially given that he had cost €37 million to sign, per Transfermarkt.

Yet the former Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen man won Guardiola's faith in the second half of the season and was one of the key factors in Bayern claiming a domestic double in Germany and reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

Below is a full tactical breakdown of Vidal, with analysis of how his qualities fit into the Bayern team.

Position and Role

Vidal may be a versatile player who is capable of filling in as a defender, but his natural position is—and always has been—in central midfield. He is not a playmaker, a No. 10 with the subtle playmaking skill of Mesut Ozil or sheer goalscoring ability of Kevin De Bruyne. But he isn't a Claude Makelele-type destroyer, either.

Vidal is neither a "6" nor a "10," he's more of an "8," a midfielder who, despite his relative physical decline, can still play from box to box. This was exactly what Bayern had been missing in seasons prior, and the Chilean proved to be the glue to hold everything together in the center of the park.

Next to Xabi Alonso, Vidal was a perfect fit in midfield. The Spaniard is a cultured player whose attributes on the ball are primarily focused on distribution from deep areas and long-range passing. He's fashionable off the pitch, sports a well-groomed beard and gives investment advice in Bloomberg interviews in his spare time.

Vidal is the exact opposite. Tattooed from head to toe and nicknamed "The Warrior," he has had problems with drinking and driving. He was caught intoxicated last year after wrecking his Ferrari during the Copa America.

Vidal's nature certainly comes with its downsides, but it also makes him the fearsome opponent he is on the pitch. He is never shy to challenge for the ball and is tenacious to win it. He has energy, strength, stamina and quite a bit of skill to boot, and often serves as the man to drive the ball forward from deep areas and into attack.

If Alonso is the conductor of Bayern Munich's orchestra, Vidal is the heavy-metal guitar soloist who somehow fits into the whole act.

Movement

Positioning is one of the areas of Vidal's game that serves as evidence of his experience and transformation. He plays from box to box, but while many similar players often find themselves a little too deep or pushed forward, he usually is right where he needs to be.

Vidal is an extremely confident and highly responsible player, and as such will always call for the ball.

He has the lungs to cover the ground needed to always be near the action, and depending on the opposition and the teammates around him, he might easily exceed 100 touches in a game: In his first Bundesliga game, the tally was a matchday-high 139, per the Bundesliga's official English Twitter account. These touches can be in his own half, in the attacking third, or anywhere else.

When his teammates have the ball, Vidal surveys the pitch based on what his team needs.

In the Champions League against Benfica, he saw that he could be useful in attack and surged into the penalty area to head home a cross in the opening moments of the first leg. In the second leg, and with the Portuguese team having drawn level on aggregate, he stepped forward to pounce on a loose ball and fire a first-time volley into the net from the edge of the box.

In another often-overlooked instance, he made a brilliant tackle near the edge of the attacking penalty area before playing the ball to Kingsley Coman to assist a last-gasp equalizer for Bayern against Juventus. 

Off the Ball

Once upon a time, Vidal was the main man to play the ball in midfield. At Bayern, he's not; that role is for Alonso in deeper areas and possibly Thiago Alcantara in more advanced positions.

Last season, Vidal looked tired in the early stages and clearly had to adapt his game to suit his aging body and weakening knees. With a bit less of the ball-playing responsibility on his shoulders, he's taken to reading the game and being a bit more reactive to events around him.

These days, Vidal sits deeper than before. He picks his moments to move forward, as referenced above, but thrives on watching play unfold around him. He's become extremely adept at intercepting the ball and tackling before forwards are able to turn and run upfield.

And with quality ball-players around him, these days he will play his part in winning the ball and moving possession quickly toward creators rather than dribbling forward on his own.

In Summary

Vidal is a different player now to the one he was when he left Serie A a year ago. At the time, he looked to be on the decline physically and hadn't figured out how to cope with the changes.

Since then, he has experienced a personal renaissance that has prolonged his usefulness at a high level.

Vidal is still a box-to-box midfielder who ties things together in defense and attack, but he does so more intelligently and less with sheer, brute force. Reinvented at the age of 29, he looks to have a few quality years left in him.