Matuidi vs. Tadic could define Juventus-Ajax quarterfinal

Blaise Matuidi is Juventus’ best weapon against Ajax star Dusan Tadic in the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus will take Ajax lightly at their peril in the Champions League quarterfinal. After all, the Eredivisie side sent holders Real Madrid packing in the last 16.

Ajax’s 4-1 second-leg win in the Spanish capital was inspired by Premier League castoff Dusan Tadic. To say the former Southampton winger has been a revelation since moving to Amsterdam last summer would be the mother of all understatements.

Tadic’s technical qualities are better suited to a club with a proud tradition of upholding the beautiful game. His artful passing and perceptive movement make him difficult to track, but Juve have one player who can get the job done in Wednesday’s first leg at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi is one of soccer’s truly underrated players.

There’s nothing flashy about the 31-year-old’s game. He won’t dominant physical duels with power or stretch defenses with pace.

Matuidi has never been a prolific goalscorer, nor does he have the flair and vision to continually create chances in the final third.

Instead, Matuidi is all about energy and an understanding of where he needs to be and when. He’s a tireless runner who links every phase of a team together.

Matuidi’s running off the ball is relentless. His well-timed breaks from the middle often give Juve a man over in attacking areas.

Yet the biggest benefit of Matuidi’s awesome engine is how it allows him to chase the ball down. Opposition players are rarely afforded time in possession with the former Saint-Etienne and Paris Saint-Germain ace around.

Matuidi tracks runners, tackles precisely and cleanly, competes in the air and cuts out through passes between the lines. Those attributes don’t hog the headlines the way Ronaldo’s goals do, but they are just as important.

To illustrate the point, while Ronaldo’s hat-trick reversed a 2-0 deficit against Atletico Madrid in the last round, Matuidi was chiefly responsible for keeping the Spanish giants scoreless in Turin.

The Bianconeri will need another defensive effort on this level to keep Tadic quiet. Tracking the 30-year-old hasn’t been an easy task this season.

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has given Tadic the freedom to constantly rotate his position along the front. The Serbia international can operate on either flank or just off the frontman and rarely stays in one spot for long.

He most often begins on the right where he can cut inside onto his wand of a left foot. Playing Tadic in the same spot wouldn’t be a good idea against Juve, though. Tadic starting on the right would allow Matuidi to be played in direct opposition to him.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri would be smart to deploy Matuidi on one side of a midfield trio, ahead of Miralem Pjanic. A natural playmaker, Pjanic would be able to dictate passing from deep.

Keeping Tadic on the ball will limit Ajax’s possession, where Tadic and Ten Hag’s other artisans, including Hakim Ziyech and David Neres, do their most damage.

Matuidi and another high-pressing midfield runner will be able to hunt and harass Tadic and Ziyech. Emre Can, who was shrewdly recruited on a free transfer from Liverpool last summer, has similar running power.

Yet the 25-year-old isn’t as effective as Matuidi at mirroring movement and breaking up play. If Can is ruled out with an ankle problem, Uruguay international Rodrigo Bentancur or Sami Khedira could easily assist Matuidi’s seek-and-destroy mission.

Tadic and Ziyech getting into the channels between the flanks and central areas is how Ajax create space and angles for the through passes that overwhelm defenses.

It’s how things went in Madrid, where Tadic ran the game from the inside right channel. His trickery and eye for a pass split a Real back line that struggled with movement from wide areas.

Ajax’s second goal was the perfect example as Tadic danced through defenders on the inside right, before threading a pass to left-sided forward Neres.

The latter had ghosted into the middle after center-forward Kasper Dolberg moved onto the right wing. It was a simple finish for a 2-0 lead, and Ajax were well on the way to an historic upset.

Juve have to stop these connections, and the best way to do it is by cutting off the creative supply from Tadic. Having Matuidi stay in pursuit will disrupt those passes.

Matuidi’s presence will also deter Tadic’s teammates from trying to pick him out. If they can’t get their best player on the ball often enough, the hosts will lose the first leg and let the tie slip out of reach ahead of the return fixture at the Allianz Stadium on 16 April.