Giorgi Chakvetadze

DOB: 29/9/1999 (20)

Nationality: Georgia

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Club: KAA Gent

Tactical:

Chakvetadze has not featured that prominently this season due to a long-term injury, just recently coming back and making a few appearances off the bench so far this season, but in the 2018/19 season, Chakvetadze was a regular starter under first Yves Vanderhaeghe and then Jess Thorup. Under Thorup, Chakvetadze is normally deployed off the left of a 4-3-3 formation, but was also occasionally plays through the middle of a 4-2-3-1. Chakvetadze doesn’t play as a prototypical winger who would stay closer to the touchline before crossing at the byline or cutting inside at the last minute, but he plays more like a #10 who is forced to play out wide. Chakvetadze likes to play further inside and receive the ball at his feet so he can pick out a teammate or try to dribble around opposition, which also gives his left back the opportunity to make overlapping runs, but he will stay wide if needed too. On dead ball situations, Chakvetadze likes to stay outside the radius of the wall, usually on the edge of box or just inside the box to either the left or right of the wall. In regards to corners, he is usually the one to take the corners for Gent.

Technical:

Technically, Chakvetadze is a player who excels in certain aspects of his game, but also could use some work in other aspects. Playing out wide I feel does not give Chakvetadze the best platform to showcase his technical qualities, as I feel he is not best at trying to dribble past opponents on the wings, but rather has more quality when he is on the ball in the center of the park. While Chakvetadze does have the ability to dribble past opponents at times, he does get the ball trapped at his feet occasionally while trying to dribble past opponents, and also gets dispossessed easily at times when trying to take opponents on 1v1 on the wing. However, when he has the ability to play further inside and play with the ball more at his feet than receive the ball and try to dribble past, he excels. I have noticed in many matches where Chakvetadze ends up playing more inside and the left back will move up into a more wingback role, which frees Chakvetadze to play in his more favored #10 or even #8 role. He will drop deep to receive the ball if needed to, and has a tremendous work rate, as does the entire Gent team that he plays in.

Chakvetadze is a very good passer of the ball, which further solidifies the point of him excelling in a more central role than out wide. His pass accuracy usually hovers between 75-85% over the whole season, and he has a very good eye for runs that his teammates are making in behind the lines. He will also make line-breaking runs himself, but his innate ability to pick out his opponents with balls over the top or through the lines of the opponents is one of his strong suits. He also has a decent shot as well, but this is one aspect of his game that he needs to work on if he wants to become a more complete player as he matures. Another thing that he does is sometimes hold onto the ball for too long, and this usually is the case when he is making a run at the opposition. While he excels at picking out teammates, he also will sometimes have lapses in concentration, resulting in him losing possession too easily or picking the wrong pass.

Physical:

Chakvetadze stands at 6 ft tall which does make him on the taller side for a #10 or even a winger, but this height gives him some much needed physicality on the ball and off of it as well. Despite being taller, he does not do well in aerial duels, winning less than half of the aerial duels that he attempts. However, he does excel more in his normal 1v1 duels to win back possession, and he is not afraid to go shoulder to shoulder with a defender to try and win back possession. In regards to his quickness, Chakvetadze is not the quickest player in a straight line, and he will usually get caught by fullbacks when playing out on the wing. When playing inside, Chakvetadze instead uses his eyes to try and move his opponents to open up passing lanes, but he does occasionally use some of his pace to burst past opponents into the space. He also has a tremendous work rate, and usually will track back to help in defense whether he is playing as a #10 or out wide. Injuries could be a problem, with him missing almost all of the 2019/20 season with a knee injury that he picked up at the end of the 2018/19 season.

Summary:

With his injury that has cost him almost all of the 2019/20 season, Chakvetadze’s name has not been thrown around this season by any of the world’s biggest clubs. Compare that to the 2018/19 season where Chakvetadze had been rumored to have the interest of some of the world’s biggest clubs, with FC Barcelona one of the clubs rumored to have been chasing his signature. Giorgi Chakvetadze is definitely a very good young talent, but is probably second best in the Gent team because of the presence of Jonathan David. If Chakvetadze had not gotten injured and played a very crucial part in Gent’s season this term, then I would not be surprised if was poached by one of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer. However, with the injury and still being only 20 years of age, another season at full fitness in Gent’s side will do him very well in attracting some of the world’s biggest clubs again. I do feel that Giorgi Chakvetadze still has a very bright future as one of the best young prospects in world football, and I feel that he will still be a success at one of the world’s biggest clubs, he just has to wait his chance.