How good Khvicha Kvaratskhelia actually was for Dinamo Batumi?

In March 2022, a war in Ukraine forced Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to return to his home country. Many people questioned the transfer and believed that the Georgian prodigy deserved a better destination, however, fast forward a few months and a packed Diego Armando Maradona Stadium is chanting the kid's name.

As strange as it may sound, on his return to Georgia, even before stepping on the field, many people questioned his ability to perform on the same level as in his previous club. Therefore, let's dive in and examine what data suggests about his performances during his 3 months in Erovnuli Liga and whether or not those critics were proven wrong. 

By analyzing the underlying numbers, we can determine how big of a threat Kvaratskhelia actually was to any opposition in the league. The most noticeable was his unmatched dribbling (98th percentile). Even when provided with the slightest chance, Kvara would never miss an opportunity to carry the ball into an open space and dribble into the box. In fact, he averaged the most dribbles per 90 - 11.47, which was 3.15 more than Giorgi Kvernadze's second-best result. Additionally, Khvicha averaged 6.5 touches in the box per game - the second-highest in the league. While playing for Dinamo Batumi, Kvara's threat was not limited to his exquisite dribbling - his finishing masterclass was on display week in, week out, as the Georgian prodigy was scoring goals for fun (98th percentile). Besides registering the most shots per 90 (4.49), the player averaged the most goals per game (0.95), and even that does not unveil the full picture because Khvicha Kvaratskhelia averaged an overperformance of 0.51 goals per 90 on his xG.

source: SciSports

As Kvaratskhelia mostly played as an inside forward in Dinamo Batumi's 4-3-3 system, he would oftentimes operate in halfspaces, trying to break the opposition's lines. Even though the player stood out with the number of touches inside the 18-yard box, according to data he would not necessarily position himself in the penalty area but rather receive the ball in the final third of the pitch and dribble toward the box. His 5.91 progressive runs per 90 were 2.02 more than the second-best Ousmane Camara - once again highlighting his quality when the ball is at his feet.

Although Khvicha's passing was slightly less efficient than his dribbling, finishing, or offensive positioning, he still managed to grab the 64th percentile, which is even more striking when analyzing different types of his passing techniques. Data suggests that Kvaratskhelia's passing would contribute to different phases of the game. For instance, Kvara's passes in the build-up phase (69th percentile) would considerably shift the team up the field. Besides, the Georgian wonderkid showcased his playmaking abilities by providing sublime passes toward the final third of the pitch (71st percentile) and, additionally, passing in and around the penalty box (88th percentile). On average, Khvicha would register 1.66 key passes per game, which is the highest output in the league.

source: SciSports

Despite being technically gifted and generating a continuous threat in attacks, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is not one of those wingers who don't track back and stay up the field to wait for their teammate's inch-perfect pass. On one hand, Khvicha would stay up the field to engage in a high press (93rd percentile) and recover the ball in the final third (90th percentile), which is something that Dinamo Batumi frequently utilize. Althghout, Khvichas high-quality engagements played a crucial role in him being positioned among the top performers within those actions in the league. Nevertheless, even if the opponent would find a way through Dinamo Batumi's press, Khvicha would track back to help his fullback in defence. Tackling (79th percentile), suppressing passing (88th percentile) and crossing (98th percentile) were all part of his game, while at the same time, he would avoid getting fouled to come out of the majority of challenges cleanly (93rd percentile). 

Therefore, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's input was not only valuable in attack but also when the team was playing out of possession. His impact was instantly noticeable both on and off the pitch, as all stadiums around Georgia would immediately sell out whenever there was a game against Dinamo Batumi. If you were one of those critics mentioned above, I hope your questions have been answered, but to everyone else out there, I would suggest keeping an eye on him and enjoying Diego Armando Maradona Stadium's roar whenever Kvara touches the ball. 

author: Mikha Gabechava