Ten minutes from the first stage of the Paris Saint-Germain Champions League semifinal against Arsenal and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is in the left position. He is covering Nuno Mendes, who has scammed forward. But it is Kvaratskhelia repressed.
Fabian Ruiz is asking him to push, making it clear that he can manage it. The next break in play, Luis Enrique issues new instructions. It is a small but indicative moment of something more. This is a different type of star. This is a different PSG.
It is not much time for Luis Enrique to see himself asking for Kylian Mbappe in a desperate attempt to persuade the player to do anything that resembles defensive duties. Now, in Kvaratskhelia, they have a signature of 70 million euros (59.5 million pounds) that could be doing too much.
The International of Georgia has done enough at the other end of London’s land to help with his side in the tie control. It was his assistance that allowed Ousmane Dembele to score the opening goal within four minutes. Jurrien Timber struggled to control Kvaratskhelia.
Arsenal Full-Back kept Vinicius Junior throughout the quarter end, but resorted to ruining the Winger PSG three times in a 20-minute opening in which PSG has shown why many experts now consider them the outstanding European team.
The wood was hooked at the end of the game, but by then Kvaratskhelia was inclined in their defensive responsibilities, protecting Mendes duplicating in Bukayo Saka. He won the ball out of Martin Odegaard in the corner and did the same with Saka moments later.
Ethan Nwaneri arrived. Kvaratskhelia has also stripped, falling off full -time knees. Luis Enrique said his side was better without the ball than with her. Surprisingly, it was his end that won the possession of the ball more than anyone on the pitch.
A superstar who works
David Webb works closely with Kvaratskhelia as assistant coach with the National Georgia team. For him, all this is not a surprise. “It is said that some superstar players do not show this job ethics, but that’s not the case with Kvara,” he says Sky Sports.
“The camps of the national team are very quiet, condensed and short, so we do not have the luxury of having them for long periods of time. But what still does, once a training session is over, it is their add -ons. We do not ask for it. Do it on our own.
“This is practicing free throws, shooting, one against others, nothing spectacular, just honoring the basics of your trade. When you look at the most important players, they do this regularly and it’s not something you do.
“It’s a nightmare to get off the training field because it is very much oriented to the process. He wants to set so many goals, he wants to have so many touches and believes that doing that or two percent give him a little more when it comes to a game.”
Luis Enrique loves that, but it is his flexibility that makes him perfect for PSG. Half an hour in the tie against Arsenal, Kvaratskhelia changed from left to the right. There was a brief spell during which Dembele went to the left and filled ahead.
“It is fluid because they do not have a number 9, so you have freedom to move between the lines, choose the ball in different areas,” says Webb. “It is very dangerous when you have the opportunity to go through and express yourself. It’s hard to predict.”
A unique end in the modern game
Webb also talks about Kvaratskhelia has “something different” and that is a recurring theme in analyzing a player who has made an unusual route to the top. Mbappe was the winner of the World Cup as a teenager. Kvaratskhelia returned to play in Georgia at the age of 21.
A product of the impressive Academy of Dinamo Tbilisi, it would be incorrect to say that it has not been identified as a special talent at a new age, but the theory is that enough of the rough edges remain in your game to turn it into a unique figure in elite football.
There were still tips of this Maverick quality for your game in London. With a quarter of an hour to go, he tried a wolf of 40 gardens of David Raya that few would have seen and much less tried. “People described it as a setback, right?”
Webb recalls a conversation with Gareth Southgate in the Euro 2024. “I was saying it is like a setback but with that little quality. We no longer see the old fashion wings. We had things about Chris Waddle and George Best.”
There is that style for Kvaratskhelia, but if these comparisons evoke images of a type outside the Puff, a deeper look at what makes it so good suggest something else. “What really impresses me is your character, humility and impulse to get to the top,” webb adds.
“You are always trying and asking questions and thinking about how you can get the advantage in your own performance. If we are presenting a tactical meeting about upcoming opponents, you will ask thoughtful questions. In the training camp, you will ask about game scenarios.
“There are not many players who come to us and do that, but he is a smart boy so he thinks about who plays against so he can go physically and tactically prepared. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and where he can exploit them.”
It helps to explain why, at the age of 24, Kvaratskhelia continues to improve. The level was already high. Two years ago he helped Napoli win the title of the A series for the first time in 33 years. But Webb is among those who witnessed an evolution in their game.
“His movement of movement has improved a lot. I think he gained that intelligence of knowing when to make his careers, when to haggle, when to pass and when to cross. I noticed that he has increased. Because he is so smart, he picks up things quickly.
“Antonio Count was good for him because he obviously had to work a lot outside the ball and we are seeing more with the national team. It’s not that he didn’t work before, but there is more intensity about him. I think his game will go to another level.”
“Top five of the world”
There are many players on this PSG team that could be said to be a symbol on the side. There are the long -term marquinhos in the back, while Dembele, Bradley Barcola and the Doue desire represent the pivot to restore that French connection.
But in his own way, Kvaratskhelia, a Four and a newcomer, can better epitomize change. With his socks around his ankles, his star status of the Italian game and his considerable transfer rate, could be wrong with a mere flashy acquisition.
Instead, it can help define Luis Enrique to make this team a team: one with rare speed and even more rare quality, but a group of players willing to work as well. “That unit will certainly keep it in a good place in the coming years,” webb concludes.
“I think I could go on and be one of the top five in the world. For me, I will definitely be winner of the Champions League for the next two or three years.” If the extraordinary Khvicha Kvaratskhelia keeps this, you won’t have to wait for so long.
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