Why Napoli 'dribbling machine' Kvaratskhelia has been labelled 'Kvaradona'

Neel Shelat

• 1 Nov 2022 07:00 CDT
• 9 min read

There’s a new star in Naples, and ‘Kvaradona’ is what he is being called.

How much of a factor his daunting name is in the creation of this nickname should be a separate question, but that should tell you all about how highly rated Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is. The Georgian international has eight goals and as many assists in 16 appearances for Napoli since joining from Dinamo Batumi in the summer, so he quite clearly has played a crucial role in their superb start to the season.

For a transfer fee of just €10 million, Kvaratskhelia has to be considered one of the best bargain signings of the summer. According to our model, the peak of his value range has doubled in about three months, and that demands we take a closer look at what he has been doing in that time.

Devastating dribbling

READ MORE: Who is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia? Napoli’s ‘Georgian Maradona’ set for greatness

The clear standout attribute of Kvaratskhelia’s game is his dribbling. The Georgian international is fearless with the ball at his feet, as he always looks to get past opponents and make things happen. He has been a prolific dribbler throughout his career, and even after making a big step up to Serie A, he has shown no signs of slowing down. So far this season in the league, he has averaged 6.42 take-ons attempted per 90, which places him in the 96th percentile in that metric among wingers and attacking midfielders.

Kvaratskhelia has a number of attributes that make him a terrific dribbler. His silky ball control and burst of acceleration are quite helpful, but what makes him truly elite is his ability to combine the two by taking lots of small touches while running at high speed, which in turn also enables him to quickly change his direction. He is also great at using chops and body feints to deceive defenders, while his unpredictability and clever off-ball runs in addition to all of these aforementioned attributes make him a real joy to watch.

The 21-year-old Georgian clearly is a great ball carrier and always looks to take the ball further up the pitch and closer to goal, as his progressive carries map from the current league season shows.

Ramped-up attacking output

As aforementioned, dribbling qualities were quite evident in Kvaratskhelia’s game throughout his time in Russia, so why was he not rated so highly before moving to Napoli? Of course, a part of the reason is that he was playing in a less-followed league so there were fewer eyes on him, but there is more to this question than just that.

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In his four seasons in the Russian Premier League, Kvaratskhelia always entertained his audience, but often let them down in the final third as he failed to hit double digits for goal involvements in any of them. He has already done that in Italy, even though he has only been there for about three months.

Focusing on his goal-scoring, here is a visualisation that shows that Kvaratskhelia was a below-average finisher throughout his time in Russia, but has become clinical since moving to Napoli this year.

One of the theories that explain his suddenly ramped-up output is that his stint in the Erovnuli Liga prior to his move to Napoli was greatly beneficial to him as it helped him improve his decision-making and end-product in the final third against a relatively lower level of opponents who afforded him more time. With practice, he was able to execute those actions at a much higher speed, which is why he is thriving in Serie A.

No matter what the cause is, the fact is that Kvaratskhelia’s spike in attacking output is no fluke because his underlying numbers are just as impressive. He has averaged 0.36 xG and 0.33 xA per 90 from open play in the league this season, and in conjugation, that places him in the 97th percentile in Serie A in terms of attacking contribution.

Indeed, his pizza chart shows his all-around excellence this season.

The role he has been asked to play by Luciano Spalletti at Napoli has certainly helped him thrive. The 63-year-old coach has used him as a somehwat orthodox left winger in his 4-3-3 system, so Kvaratskhelia is encouraged to stay high and wide.

Of course, this leverages his dribbling capabilities because this sort of positioning often leaves him isolated with the opposition full-back or wing-back, who is then in for a really tough time.

Kvaratskhelia’s ball-carrying unsurprisingly plays an important role in his attacking output, as he has the fourth-most chance-creating carries (ball carries that end in a shot or key pass) in Serie A this season with 20. As his position would suggest, he tends to deal most of his damage from the left side of the box, typically after cutting inside from the wing.

His shotmap shows that his shots (and goals) are concentrated in that region.

The trouble for opposition defenders is that there are a lot of things Kvaratskhelia can do after reaching this part of the pitch. Of course, his shooting from outside the box is great, so they are forced to worry about that.

But then again, he can also deceive them with a fake shot and carry on dribbling to get closer to the goal, where his finishing on his weaker foot is not bad either.

The Georgian international is also superb at identifying and executing short one-two passes in such tight spaces with his teammates, so his off-ball movement is another dimension of the threat that he poses.

There is more to Kvaratskhelia’s game in the final third than just goals because he also excels at setting his teammates up with chances. Unlike a traditional winger, Kvaratskhelia’s creativity does not come from crossing, but rather from cut-backs and intricate passing.

It helps to have a striker like Victor Osimhen to work with too.

Even at Rubin Kazan, it was clear that Kvaratskhelia had the potential to be a world-class player on his day, but his day did not come all that often. At Napoli, though, he looks capable of setting the world on fire every time he steps onto the pitch as he is clearly unlocking his potential under Spalletti.

What sets Kvaratskhelia apart from many of the best players around currently is that the Georgian international clearly looks like he is having a lot of fun on the pitch, and as a consequence, is an absolute delight to watch too. He is constantly trying new flicks and tricks to get the better of his defender and is never deterred by small setbacks and failures. His coach deserves credit for this, as he has been afforded the freedom to take risks without consequence.

Kvaratskhelia has already established himself as a key player in this youthful Napoli side that look capable of beating anyone on their day, so the sky is the limit for both him and them. They have already qualified for the Champions League knockouts as group winners ahead of Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers, and also have a five-point lead at the top of Serie A. Kvaratskhelia has a golden chance to further cement his status as a fan-favourite at Napoli by helping the club lift its first league (or perhaps even continental) title in over three decades.