Monday 25 July, 2011
Blog: Vidal statistics
Arturo Vidal is potentially smart business from Juventus, but, as Rob Paton asks, are they setting him up to be Felipe Melo part two?
Arturo Vidal is a dynamic footballer, inasmuch as he is capable of not only having the tactical and technical proficiency to take either defensive or attacking roles within a team, but the attributes to perform consistently in either role too.
With the national team, former Coach Marcelo Bielsa relied heavily upon his defensive reading of the game to take a wing-back-cum-midfielder position that demanded consistent cover for the defence as well as assuredness when in possession.
In contrast to this was his recent switch in the Bundesliga to an attacking midfield position with Bayer Leverkusen. Deployed either in central midfield with licence to break forward, or behind a single striker in a 4-4-1-1, Vidal not only technically adapted, but returned 10 goals and 11 assists in 2010-11.
Indeed, the success displayed in two separate positions was echoed in the different roles the sides chasing him had in mind. Arsenal’s rumoured interest was for Vidal the attacking midfielder, touted as a replacement for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. However, in securing the 24-year-old for a cut-price €10.5m plus add-ons – Leverkusen paid Colo Colo €11m four years ago – Juventus have protecting Andrea Pirlo in the middle of the park in mind. Bayern Munich had also earmarked a defensive midfield role for him.
Critically now, placing Vidal with such a task in Turin opens up comparisons with Felipe Melo, who the club have just shipped out on loan to Galatasaray. On the face of it, the Bianconeri are releasing a player who has just proven proficient in shadowing a deep-laying regista last term, and who ably moderated a previously reckless side to his game – Melo picked up eight yellows and one red from 36 appearances compared with 26 and five from the previous two seasons.
Whilst not a singular defining aspect to a player’s capacity as a defensive midfielder, the improvement from Melo was significant, and to an area of his game heavily criticised. Intriguingly, it is now a similar challenge facing Vidal. Also dropping from very high carded numbers to just a handful – five yellow and one red from 33 played – Vidal will have to re-apply this more cautious approach in a new League and, significantly, back in a destructive role he was not playing last term.
From 2008 to 2010, when both Vidal and Melo were in consistent defensive-midfield roles in Germany and Italy respectively, Vidal earned 27 yellows to Melo’s 26. However, Melo averaged a yellow card every 4.9 fouls in Italy, where Vidal was booked after every 6.1 fouls. In short, fouls from defensive midfield were penalised a lot sooner in Serie A. In this same period, Roma’s Daniele De Rossi received a yellow every 3.4 fouls, Bayern’s Mark Van Bommel every 6.8 fouls. Vidal also committed in this two-year period more fouls than Melo, and just 13 fewer than Van Bommel.
Indeed, with the assumption that Vidal’s main task will be to shield Pirlo as Gennaro Gattuso has, there is a slight risk that by piling on all the defensive-midfield duties on to Vidal, that Juventus are exposing him to the same criticism that was levied at Melo.
Vidal is a more capable, complete footballer, but he still has a reputation for an over-exuberance in trying to win back possession. If his main task is to support the higher-earning, defensively-inept Pirlo, and he has previously matched Melo card for card 2008 to 2010 but in a more lenient refereeing climate of Germany, the suggestion is his adaptation into the League could come with at least as many cards that brought unwanted focus on Melo’s style of play.
Antonio Conte’s responsibility, therefore, will be to ensure the player is given room to show his other capabilities as a footballer, so that any number of cards that may or may not hurt the team, do not becoming defining aspects of Vidal’s impact in Serie A, one that otherwise could be very positive.
FI.
Blog: Vidal statistics
Arturo Vidal is potentially smart business from Juventus, but, as Rob Paton asks, are they setting him up to be Felipe Melo part two?
Arturo Vidal is a dynamic footballer, inasmuch as he is capable of not only having the tactical and technical proficiency to take either defensive or attacking roles within a team, but the attributes to perform consistently in either role too.
With the national team, former Coach Marcelo Bielsa relied heavily upon his defensive reading of the game to take a wing-back-cum-midfielder position that demanded consistent cover for the defence as well as assuredness when in possession.
In contrast to this was his recent switch in the Bundesliga to an attacking midfield position with Bayer Leverkusen. Deployed either in central midfield with licence to break forward, or behind a single striker in a 4-4-1-1, Vidal not only technically adapted, but returned 10 goals and 11 assists in 2010-11.
Indeed, the success displayed in two separate positions was echoed in the different roles the sides chasing him had in mind. Arsenal’s rumoured interest was for Vidal the attacking midfielder, touted as a replacement for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. However, in securing the 24-year-old for a cut-price €10.5m plus add-ons – Leverkusen paid Colo Colo €11m four years ago – Juventus have protecting Andrea Pirlo in the middle of the park in mind. Bayern Munich had also earmarked a defensive midfield role for him.
Critically now, placing Vidal with such a task in Turin opens up comparisons with Felipe Melo, who the club have just shipped out on loan to Galatasaray. On the face of it, the Bianconeri are releasing a player who has just proven proficient in shadowing a deep-laying regista last term, and who ably moderated a previously reckless side to his game – Melo picked up eight yellows and one red from 36 appearances compared with 26 and five from the previous two seasons.
Whilst not a singular defining aspect to a player’s capacity as a defensive midfielder, the improvement from Melo was significant, and to an area of his game heavily criticised. Intriguingly, it is now a similar challenge facing Vidal. Also dropping from very high carded numbers to just a handful – five yellow and one red from 33 played – Vidal will have to re-apply this more cautious approach in a new League and, significantly, back in a destructive role he was not playing last term.
From 2008 to 2010, when both Vidal and Melo were in consistent defensive-midfield roles in Germany and Italy respectively, Vidal earned 27 yellows to Melo’s 26. However, Melo averaged a yellow card every 4.9 fouls in Italy, where Vidal was booked after every 6.1 fouls. In short, fouls from defensive midfield were penalised a lot sooner in Serie A. In this same period, Roma’s Daniele De Rossi received a yellow every 3.4 fouls, Bayern’s Mark Van Bommel every 6.8 fouls. Vidal also committed in this two-year period more fouls than Melo, and just 13 fewer than Van Bommel.
Indeed, with the assumption that Vidal’s main task will be to shield Pirlo as Gennaro Gattuso has, there is a slight risk that by piling on all the defensive-midfield duties on to Vidal, that Juventus are exposing him to the same criticism that was levied at Melo.
Vidal is a more capable, complete footballer, but he still has a reputation for an over-exuberance in trying to win back possession. If his main task is to support the higher-earning, defensively-inept Pirlo, and he has previously matched Melo card for card 2008 to 2010 but in a more lenient refereeing climate of Germany, the suggestion is his adaptation into the League could come with at least as many cards that brought unwanted focus on Melo’s style of play.
Antonio Conte’s responsibility, therefore, will be to ensure the player is given room to show his other capabilities as a footballer, so that any number of cards that may or may not hurt the team, do not becoming defining aspects of Vidal’s impact in Serie A, one that otherwise could be very positive.
FI.
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Would hope Vidal turns out really successful just for that.
