Talent overload in midfield for Dinamo Tbilisi

Just like there is an increased chance of becoming a professional football player when your surname is Traoré (which literally means "the chosen one") or Dembélé, Georgian players with hard-to-pronounce surnames might have an advantage in being regarded as talented players, because just like Kvaratskhelia, Moistsrapishvili and Mekvabishvili both have equally complex surnames and possess an excessive amount of talent. Maybe further research should be conducted to detect whether or not there is a correlation between the length of a Georgian player's name and his potential, but for now, we will just dive in and explore what the above-mentioned duo has offered so far this season.

Although both are predominantly positioned in the midfield, Mekvabishvili and Moistsrapishvili take on contrasting roles due to their different skillset, which makes their partnership in the middle of the pitch perfectly balanced, just like Yin and Yang. The former one possessing better defensive qualities and the latter one being superior in the attack provides the team with a perfect recipe to smoothly transition from defence to attack. While Mekvabishvili primarily operates as a ball-winning midfielder, it allows the team to retrieve the possession and feed the ball to Moistsrapishvili's feet, who will distribute passes into the final third to create chances for his teammates. 

In fact, Moistsrapishvili is among the highest performers in terms of passing, providing the team with 0.74 key passes on average per game. Additionally, he contributes to both starting the attack and creating chances in the final third. If visualized with data, we can see that he is in the 96th percentile for chance creation passes and 89th percentile for high-quality build-up passes, which emphasizes how big of a role Moistsrapishvili has in nearly every attacking scenario. Besides providing the most through passes per game (2.23), his 10.57 final third passes per 90, which he completes with 81% accuracy, is the second-highest tally in the league. As a matter of fact, Moistsrapishvili is in the 98th percentile for both passes into the final third and deep completions. His long-range passing ability allows him to launch an inch-perfect pass toward the final third and fully skip the opposition's midfield in an elegant way. With the latter type of passing, he provides the team with 2.23 passes per game, which is the third-highest in Erovnuli Liga. Although some might think that Moistsrapishvili's passing stats might be exaggerated because he may frequently opt for easier passing routes, 84% progressive passing accuracy should be sufficient evidence to eliminate your doubts. All in all, his 98th percentile in passing should sum up the whole story about his playmaking abilities. 

As if that was not enough, his finishing (96th percentile) and dribbling (93rd percentile) abilities really are the icing on the cake. Complemented by his intelligence that allows him to position himself well in the final third of the pitch and also in the 18-yard box, depending on where he receives a pass from his teammate, Moistsrapishvili can do both carry the ball toward the penalty area or elegantly put it in the back of the net. This might explain why he bossed the midfield in a friendly against England's U21 side, where Georgia won 3-2. Moistsrapishvili's exquisite close control and distribution (83% accuracy) made an invaluable impact on winning the game.

source: SciSports

On the flipside, Mekvabishvili is superior to Moistsrapishvili in things that are not easily quantifiable or displayed on screens after the game, which is a common thing for a player with such a role in the midfield. As his primary goal is to regain possession, Mekvabishvili frequently engages in preventive actions (76th percentile) down the field. As Dinamo Tbilisi often engage in a high press, Mekvabishvili’s input is invaluable in those parts of the pitch (78th percentile). His quality allows the team to regain the ball further up the field, which has a crucial impact as possession turnovers in those areas have a proven record of creating the highest quality chances that consequently can be converted into goals. In fact, his high quality recoveries in the final third place him in the 80th percentile in the league. Even though he is not the tallest player on the pitch (1.74m), Mekvabishvili still possesses enough energy and toughness to frequently engage in physical duels, and more importantly, come out as a winner in most cases (89th percentile). Likewise, playing for loose balls and 1v1 duels is never a walk in the park for an opponent who faces Mekvabishvili. 

In general, tackling (87th percentile) is Mekvabishili’s stronger side alongside his defensive positioning, which is reinforced by his perfect timing and anticipation abilities. All these things provide the team’s defensive line with a huge relief as they can be confident that in Mekvabishvili they have a player who can cover them and act as an additional defensive barrier before a player can engage with Dinamo’s back four. Apart from Dinamo Tbilisi, Mekvabishvili has already become an important player for the national team, appearing 7 times for the country. In a famous win against England's U21 side, Mekvabishvili's unlimited amount of energy contributed to maintaining a much-needed high intensity in the game, which is something that Georgian national teams often struggle with. 

source: SciSports

By now, it should be clear that Mekvabishvili's and Moistsrapishvili's days at Dinamo Tbilisi are coming to a logical end, as players with this amount of talent should unleash their full potential in a more competitive league. Whenever they leave, Dinamo Tbilisi should be prepared to replace the duo appropriately, as now, these two are one of the main driving forces in the team, and without them, challenging for the Erovnuli Liga title would be much harder for the club. Both are already under the radar so now it's all in their hands - if they continue progressing well, a move to Europe will be inevitable because eyes are already on them and doors, as always, are open for such talented players.

author: Mikha Gabechava