PSG – Reims: the very promising first of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

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By: Manu Tournoux

After a flamboyant success in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes against Manchester City (4-2), Paris Saint-Germain found the way to Ligue 1 with the reception of the Reims stadium this Saturday evening, as part of the 19th Championship day. If the poster could have been anecdotal enough given the turnover operated by Luis Enrique – compared to the meeting against the Cityzens on Wednesday – with the starts of Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Hernandez, Désiré Doué or Gonçalo Ramos, this duel against the troops by Luka Elsner was above all an opportunity to celebrate the great first of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the PSG jersey, tenure from the start of the game on the left side of the starting eleven alongside Ousmane Dembélé and Gonçalo Ramos. Bradley Barcola was therefore starting on the bench.

At a press conference on Friday, the Spanish coach had left doubt about a tenure of the winter golden recruit: “Its characteristics are adaptable to our style of play. We are looking for the innate qualities of the player to improve them. Being as often as possible in front of the goal, being in a shots but also connect with such a player and create synergies. I think what he will bring to the team is positive. Physically it is very good. We have seen it without problem with training. He's ready». Finally, as expected by some media, the Georgian international started well this Saturday evening against Reims. In front of 49,000 Parisian supporters, the former Naples player was first presented a few minutes before kick -off.

Already decisive with PSG!

“”Kvara, welcome to the madness of the park», Was he written on the small banner deployed by the Ultras Paris collective in the spans of the Auteuil turn during the very short presentation of the player before kick-off. Quickly in a leg, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had some opportunities on his left side with in particular this attempted foray into the area well blocked by Ito (2nd). A few minutes later, he made his speed speak but his center was not sublimated by the control failed by Ramos (3rd). Despite some touched balloons, the Georgian especially took his marks in the first act, seeking to commit the least possible false away: “Kvara? All the attackers that we can play at each position. It is his strength, he got to know his teammates, the stadium, his opponents. It was important to make this first match. It's always complicated but I am very satisfied“Said Luis Enrique. And it is precisely when the locker room returns that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia only needed a few minutes to be decisive and shine quickly.

Indeed, on his first balloon affected in the second act, the native of Tbilisi was the wand of the opening of the Parisian score. By taking the ball on his left side, the former Napoli player quickly transplanted in the axis, played the one-two by sliding the ball in Goué who immediately gave him. Kvara then perfectly slipped the leather to Dembélé which concluded the beautiful collective sequence initiated by the new Parisian recruit (47th). At the exit of Ousmane Dembélé (60th), Kvaratskhelia passed into a role of central offensive midfielder in support of Gonçalo Ramos with the entrance to Bradley Barcola on the right and the repositioning of Désiré Doué on the left. When the Portuguese scorer was replaced (73rd), the Georgian camped the role of advanced preservative in false-nuf: “It was a complicated match, Reims is a good team but we could have won because we had opportunities. You have to continue to move forward, work hard and the good results will happen. I think we could have scored on several occasions and that's why we did not win“Said the man of the evening. It is therefore a Mutli-Casquettes use that he knew for his great first. What announce the color of its tailor -made role in the coming weeks.

An idyllic first week

A few minutes after the final whistle, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also stopped in the mixed zone in a room filled for the occasion of French, Italian and Georgian journalists. What return to his first days at Paris Saint-Germain “I had a very good feeling, very good atmosphere here. I am happy to be here with these incredible supporters, but I wanted to win. We missed several opportunities. These are things that happen in a match. We must continue to work hard. I think the good times will come, so we have to continue working. The atmosphere was very good, thank you to the supporters. I really felt that they helped us a lot. I already see that the boys are very good players and I am happy to play with them. I really appreciate being on the ground with them. We have to work hard and that's it. I can play everywhere in attack. It was very good to feel free“He explained for a long time. A few meters, upstairs below, Luis Enrique arrived at a press conference. And the subject Kvara obviously took a preponderant place.

The Spanish coach detailed the first of his new player who finished the match with 69 touched balloons and 91% of successful passes: “KHVICHA KVARETSKHELIA played the first period in the first period and with only four training sessions with his teammates, it is necessarily difficult. We don't know each other well yet but I think it was good. When he has the ball, you can feel that he has something different in addition. I hope it will be his first match in a long series at the club. He started the second period very well and he had a very nice pass for Ousmane Dembélé. I think there are a lot of positive things. He lacks rhythm because he had not played for a little while and does not yet know his teammates. This is a new situation for him“, He concluded. In any case, Khvicha KVaratskhelia did not disappoint for his first minutes in Paris and he will now be able to encourage his teammates on Wednesday against Stuttgart before living (perhaps) the 16th finals of the Champions League on the lawn.

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