By Ben Bocsák
Back in his homeland on the streets of Tbilisi and the coastlines of Batumi, conversations around Kvaratskhelia’s future were the main topic in bars, cafes and football pitches.
“There was a lot of feedback in Georgia,” one of Kvaratskhelia’s former coaches Gela Davitadze recalls to FotMob.
“One side was divided by saying that he should move to Liverpool and the other side said PSG was the right team for him, which led to discussions everywhere.”
Georgians have a profound love for Kvaratskhelia, who has very much put the country on the map.
In the end, the 24-year-old made the decision to follow in the footsteps of some of the modern era’s best players such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar by opting to for Paris.
It was a bold decision. Paris Saint Germain are undergoing a metamorphosis at the moment.
Under Luis Enrique, the squad has been transformed from elite superstars to a young exuberant side full of ravenous appetite to prove themselves among Europe’s elite.
Kvaratskhelia’s arrival is very much the beginning of Paris’ emergence from that cocoon and the dawn of the club’s transformation into a breathtaking butterfly ready to spread its wings.
Since the Georgian has joined PSG, Enrique’s side have been unbeaten in Ligue 1 and knocked out Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League with Kvaratskhelia playing a key role dismantling the side he could have been lining up for had he made a different choice in January.
“I think Luis Enrique makes the most of his abilities,” Davitadze says.
“Sometimes he tactically takes up in three different positions during the game which makes him unpredictable, and this is a great luxury for the coach to him as well as a great puzzle for opponent defenders to solve.”
Indeed, if we look at his time in Paris so far, Kvaratskhelia has predominantly played on the left flank, but he’s also started games in a central position, playing as a false nine and has at times been shifted to the right-wing as well.
Davitadze believes this flexibility to pop up anywhere on the pitch combined with his ability to dazzle defenders in one vs. one situations is his strongest asset.
“He has many qualities, but I will tell you just one of his most valuable qualities, and the most valuable quality in football in general is that he is an unpredictable player, you don’t know where he will be and what he will do with the ball.
“I think he is becoming more and more unpredictable under Luis Enrique.”
You can see that in some of his performances. Kvaratskhelia is flourishing in PSG colours. He’s attempted 64 dribbles and completed 32 of them so far – the most of any PSG player in the same period.
A huge benefit has also been the fact that he hasn’t been burned out in his minutes since arriving at PSG. Unlike, Napoli, Enrique’s side isn’t over reliant on Kvaratskhelia.
He’s started 11 matches from a possible 14, in all competitions, but has played the full 90 minutes in just four appearances.
This is largely because Enrique possesses an embarrassing of riches at his disposal when it comes to PSG’s attack, enabling him to rotate and rest his players accordingly – something that could be of huge benefit to the longevity of Kvaratskhelia’s career.
“PSG is a very good team and they have very good young players,” Davitadze agrees.
“When they played with Liverpool when extra time began, they made substitutions and took advantage of extra time, they have the great potential to win the Champions League in the future.”
That future might not even be as distant. PSG are one of the best teams remaining in the competition. Their route to the final is undoubtedly more difficult than other teams but there is a strong possibility they can advance to the semi-finals at the very least. From there on, anything is possible. Kvaratskhelia will know that first hand, having led his Georgian national team to historic heights over the last few years.
In terms of the most important markets for an attacker, he’s averaging 0.57 goal contributions per 90. He’s netted two goals although his xG suggests that number should be three (not to mention he’s had a few goals disallowed by VAR too) and he’s provided three assists as well.
These numbers are not incredible, but they are a good sign of things to come. Importantly, Enrique is giving Kvaratskhelia more of the ball, he’s averaging 10 more passes per 90 minutes for PSG than he was averaging for Napoli – and this will in turn make him a better and more rounded player.
It’s an exciting notion to think, there’s still a lot more that Kvaratskhelia can offer this PSG side. For the rest of Europe, that’s a frightening prospect.
“I think he’s still in the adaptation period and if he can fully manoeuvre, he’ll bring more benefit to the team. He probably needs to improve his physical abilities,” Davitadze says.
“We’ll probably see his full potential next season, he has even greater potential.”
What that potential can be remains to be seen. The sky is the limit, and Paris may not even be the final destination according to his former coach.
“He can become a PSG legend, but I think in a few years time he should find another team like Liverpool or Barcelona because those teams will take him to a different level.
“I think he can play at the highest level in both the Premier League and LaLiga.”
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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