‘Cristiano Ronaldo mentality’ – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could maul Liverpool again and unrelenting desire could secure Premier League move

Liverpool must find a way of silencing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia if they’re to see off Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

The Georgia international ran the show in the first leg of their last 16 knockout game before his substitution, which preceded the Reds’ smash and grab win at the Parc des Princes.

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Having arrived in Paris as a man who had helped Napoli win a first Serie A in 33 years, big things are expected of the £80m ace.

Kvaratskhelia has aspirations of being one of the most recognisable names in the planet – but first first fans must learn how to say it correctly (Kh-vicha Kvarats-khelia).

One man who knows all about the forward is Georgia national team assistant coach David Webb.

“It took a good couple of months [to nail the pronunciation of his name],” Webb joked when asked by talkSPORT.com if he struggled.

“He was known as Kvara or Khvicha, so when they said his full name and said Kvaratskhelia I was like, ‘who?’

“Kvara’s talent is clear for everyone to see, that’s the obvious part. What stood out to me in our first couple of training camps was his desire to get better and want to improve. Every training camp he’s the first one out to training, but then he also wants to do extras at the end.

“It’s what the elite players do and he’s certainly one of those.

“You can see his standout qualities in training on the ball, the way he moves, his athleticism, his technique and his football intelligence – he has that to a very high level.”

And Webb had a warning for Europe’s best defenders – he’s only going to get better, adding: “He’s clearly one of – if not, the standout players in our group from that perspective, but he has that edge and that desire to improve.

“He wants to get better and doesn’t think he’s the finished article by any means which is a very, very good quality to have.

“Whatever he does he wants to be the absolute best at it and it’s that desire and character which I think will take him a long way in his career.”

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Fans aren’t often privy to the work that football’s superstars put in behind the scenes, but in the case of Kvaratskhelia, his commitment to becoming the best is second-to-none.

Webb explained: “Most footballers want to improve, but when you’re at his level and you’re talking about the Ballon d’Or or the best player in Serie A, there’s a core of elite players where they don’t want to be ranked amongst the best as a top five striker or top five wide players in Europe and potential Ballon d’Or winners – they want to be the best.

“It’s like the [Cristiano] Ronaldo effect where they’re constantly training to improve physically and mentally daily.

“Kvara has that. I saw it at Tottenham with players like Harry Kane and Heung-min Son – these core elite players have an in-built quality where they see themselves as a talented player but nowhere near the finished article and they’re never satisfied. They always want more and it’s how they apply themselves.

“Kvara is a keen student of his game. His opponents, tactics, he’s very humble and very grounded and he’s married and has a child. He keeps his private life very simple and very private and it’s just pure football and a real hunger and desire to improve.”

Typically used as an out-and-out right winger with Napoli, Kvaratskhelia is already adding to his game as part of a fluid front line where he typically plays alongside Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos.

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Reflecting on how his game has changed in Paris, Georgia’s assistant said: “I’ve watched three or four of his games and he’s adapting to a different role so he plays in more of a fluid front three with Barcola and Dembele.

“So instead of playing on the side with someone like Osimhen as a striker, he has the freedom now to come inside and occupy that number nine role which he does for Georgia and knows how to play.

“He can play on both sides and has a lot of freedom and rotation.

“Obviously he has the defensive structure behind him where he doesn’t have to work as much off the ball, but in attack he has the licence to take up new spaces so his game is definitely developing and evolving.

“You could see against Liverpool [in the first leg] that he caused them loads of problems by not staying in that fixed position. He’s very hard to mark.”

Against Arne Slot’s side, Kvaratskhelia was responsible for five of PSG’s 28 shots, with four of those on target and two additional chances created.

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Kvaratskhelia managed to beat an inspired Alisson with a delightful curling effort, however, the first-half goal was chalked off due to a marginal offside earlier in the move.

Asked how Liverpool stop him, Webb added: “There’s a couple of ways to go. You could go man-to-man so that he has that direct presence with him a lot more.

“But if you do that he roams a lot and it’ll be difficult to have that fixated pressure on him because it might disrupt Liverpool’s structure.

“I think what Liverpool could do is invite PSG onto them because they already have the 1-0 lead and the home advantage and restrict the spaces in and around where he plays so that they play more of a mid-block or slightly deeper.

“I don’t want to say that the first game was a little bit open but with PSG being at home and being in the ascendancy they were playing with a high line and were constantly pressuring Liverpool.

“They’ll look to do the same again in the second leg but Liverpool can afford to play more of a transition game against them and restrict their spaces so that he doesn’t get as much joy and freedom.”

Just two months into his time at the Parc des Princes, it’s far too early to predict where Kvaratskhelia’s career could take him next.

But based on conversations between the pair, Webb believes a move to the Premier League could be on the cards at some point in the future.

He explained: “His profile definitely fits the higher-end clubs like Man City and Liverpool, particularly when you’ve got such a fluid front three. That would suit his game.

“Liverpool and City obviously stand out and Arsenal to have that fluid front three.

“During this part of his journey with PSG he’s definitely going to have more freedom to start on the side and then go into number nine, or start as a nine and then rotate, especially with Dembele and Barcola.

“With Haaland as a fixed number nine, he can play more in the Foden, Jeremy Doku or Savinho roles where there’s a little bit more licence to roam and rotate.

“He’s definitely on the right trajectory and I’m sure he’d love to be in the Premier League one day.

“We’ve had a chat and he’s always curious of the levels in England and what it’s like. Obviously he makes his own observations of what he sees and he watches a lot of Premier League football but from the conversations we’ve had I think he’d definitely love to have a stint in the Premier League at some point in his career.”

And that should frighten the life out of defenders in England.

Kvaratskhelia will be in action for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League last-16 clash with Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Updates from Anfield will be live on talkSPORT throughout the evening.