Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was explosive for Napoli in his debut season but has been far less electric in recent months, failing to score since March.
The 22-year-old Georgian winger was one of the revelations of the 2022-23 season, playing a crucial role in the Partenopei’s Scudetto success with his 12 goals and 13 assists in the league. He formed one of the most dangerous partnerships in Europe with striker Victor Osimhen.
Although Kvaratskhelia was awarded the Serie A Most Valuable Player award last season, his form has taken a clear downward turn since late March. In Napoli’s last 11 league games of last season, he scored no goals and provided just one assist.
Corriere della Sera via TMW highlighted three reasons why Kvaratskhelia has suffered a drop in form lately, starting with his role on the pitch. The 22-year-old is sometimes being asked to play a deeper role with more defensive duties, limiting his ability to punish defenders on the wing.
The second reason is because the Georgian winger’s abilities also rely on his teammates performing with intensity and bite, something that has been a little lacking in recent months once their Scudetto success was obvious.
Finally, his 14-goal tally last season could be an anomaly for Kvaratskhelia, especially when compared to his work in previous seasons. There’s a chance that he’ll be unable to replicate that decisiveness in front of goal again.
OR he missed 3 out of 5 weeks in pre-season……..