The Chilean powerhouse netted the only goal of a first leg that was far tighter than it ought to have been, and it was he who stepped up when another Portuguese disaster appeared to be looming at the Estadio da Luz. At this stage last season, Porto scored three times on home turf, and increasingly characteristic poor defending from Bayern gave Benfica similar first-half hope this time around. Until Vidal snuffed it out.
Though both goals were markedly different – one a second minute header after a sniping run into the box, the other a fiercely hit half-volley that almost ripped the net apart – both shared a similarity. They were born from an aggressively roaming midfielder who had been freed from the shackles of both defensive work and pure possession control; opportunistic, poacher’s efforts. Both goals were typical of Vidal, but perhaps not typical of Guardiola.
The 28-year-old never quite felt like the perfect fit for a coach who has more regularly turned to pint-sized creators in the centre of the park than bulldozing midfielder runners, while even as recently as the weekend there was clear frustration on the face of Vidal as he was withdrawn within half-an-hour of the win over Stuttgart after picking up an early yellow card following a typically over-zealous tackle and all-action cameo.
“He brings an aggression and special mentality to the team,” club legend Oliver Kahn remarked in the summer. “But he does not really fit into Guardiola's philosophy.” Too hot-headed, too much of a risk-taker, too direct. Yet it is that very streak of pure, simmering aggression that is proving to be the perfect antidote to a season that might otherwise have petered out already, and a style of play that is not quite as dynamic as the fans demand it to be.
To his credit, Guardiola had recognised Vidal’s ability to transform Bayern’s play from ponderous and predictable to razor-sharp and breathless. He had used the Chilean as a modern “libero” briefly – to especially good effect against Borussia Dortmund – but now he has him lining up closer to the side’s not-quite-as-prolific-as-usual strike duo. Importantly, he brings verticality to a style of play that can become a little too side-to-side.
Against Benfica he routinely found space to drive into – arriving unmarked at the edge of the box to hammer home – and was an energetic, forceful presence, pressing relentlessly. No player had more shots in the entire game, with his five efforts (four of which were on target) a long way clear of next best Thomas Muller’s two. He was involved in almost all of Bayern’s swift counter-attacks, especially as the game opened up late on.
But there is a drawback to Vidal’s new role at Bayern: there is no-one else to fill the tough-tackling void left behind him. On Wednesday night it was Xabi Alonso who anchored the midfield, a wonderfully cultured midfielder but not blessed with any real mobility.
The combination of the Spaniard, who was extremely impressive in Lisbon, and fellow pass-masters-cum-centre-backs Javi Martinez and Joshua Kimmich has maintained Bayern’s usual stability with the ball – the trio played 250 passes between them, more than the entire Benfica side combined – but there is still a vulnerability when not in possession. The Bavarians conceded twice, having also done so in each last-16 leg against Juve, and in truth it could have been more.
The usually dependable Manuel Neuer kicked off Bayern’s defensive calamity this time around. His ill-judged rush from his line to try and punch away the ball – and subsequent flap at thin air – gifted Benfica the early goal they craved as Raul Jimenez headed home. Benfica found it too easy to stretch the play in the rare chances they were afforded to attack, too easy to get in behind.
With barely 15 minutes left to play, Martinez was caught eating dust and was very fortunate to avoid being sent off for a scything challenge. Talisca dispatched the resulting free-kick in stunning fashion, though by that stage the game was virtually out of sight (had the visitors been reduced to 10 men it might have been a different story). Despite having just 26 per cent possession, Benfica mustered just two fewer shots on target than Bayern.
Ultimately, it was pretty much more of the same for Bayern and Guardiola. Another dominant performance with the ball that yielded few clear-cut chances from open play, another sketchy defensive display as a collective and yet more lung-busting heroics from Vidal. It’s just not quite clicking at the moment, and die Roten may need to re-find their swagger in attack so their new Chilean talisman can return to shielding the back-line.
Guardiola will not have learned anything he didn’t already know about his side, but he will certainly have been reminded of Vidal’s enduring importance – and the need to ensure he recruits a similarly tenacious and hard-running midfielder for Manchester City. Bayern march on in the Champions League and will be many people’s favourites after Barcelona’s unexpected exit, but on this showing they still lack balance and are perhaps the least solid side still left in the competition.
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