One LaLiga skilled has given Liverpool followers an thought of what they will count on from Giorgi Mamardashvili when the Georgia worldwide involves Anfield subsequent 12 months.
The Reds lately clinched a deal for the 23-year-old which sees him stay on mortgage at Valencia for this season earlier than relocating to Merseyside in the summertime of 2025.
Dermot Corrigan, who covers the Spanish prime flight for The Athletic, spoke to liverpoolfc.com in regards to the traits of the goalkeeper when it comes to his strongest attributes – and one side the place maybe he stays one thing of an unknown amount.
Comply with Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
The journalist outlined: “Final season he was glorious and it was undoubtedly his greatest season. His xG prevented stat final season in La Liga was the most effective within the division – it confirmed that he had reached a brand new stage.
“He’s an enormous, bodily imposing man with plenty of persona, he likes to be concerned within the sport. Penalties are the place goalkeepers get an opportunity to shine. He saved three of six penalties confronted in La Liga final season, which is a reasonably good file.”
Corrigan added: “He’s sort of a conventional goalkeeper. At Valencia, he hasn’t performed beneath coaches within the extra trendy college of constructing it out from the again, splitting the centre-backs and the goalkeeper being a playmaker from the again.
“I don’t suppose he’s executed that for Valencia or Georgia – I’m not saying that he’s not able to it however it’s one thing that he hasn’t actually had that a lot expertise of thus far in his profession.”
READ MORE: (Video) Trent highlights reel reveals precisely why Roy Keane dubbed him ‘unbelievable’ v Eire
READ MORE: (Photograph) What Mamardashvili did after 4-1 Georgia win will immediately endear him to Liverpool followers
As per OptaJoe, Mamardashvili’s tally of 39 targets conceded in LaLiga final season was 11.3 lesser than the xG from the photographs heading in the right direction that he confronted, essentially the most optimistic discrepancy of any goalkeeper within the Spanish prime flight in 2023/24.
Moreover, the penalty-saving file to which Corrigan alluded locations the 23-year-old among the many prime 7% of ‘keepers in Europe’s 5 predominant leagues over the previous 12 months (FBref). For comparability, Alisson Becker has stopped simply three out of the 12 in-game spot kicks that he’s confronted (25%) in his six years at Liverpool (Transfermarkt).
The Georgian’s persona additionally shone by means of on the finish of his nation’s 4-1 win over Czechia on the weekend, after which he climbed into the stands, grabbed a megaphone and led a sequence of euphoric chants among the many supporters in Tbilisi.
From The Athletic reporter’s perception, the most important unknown about Mamardashvili appears to encompass his skill when it comes to enjoying out from the again, one thing which has been a characteristic of Arne Slot’s Liverpool within the early weeks of the Dutchman’s tenure at Anfield.
A completion price of 98.1% for brief passes throughout his profession (FBref) means that the ‘keeper will adapt to the Reds’ enjoying fashion with consolation, and the membership certainly wouldn’t have signed him in the event that they didn’t suppose he’d be a superb match for the group’s tactical method.
There seems to be loads of motive to eagerly anticipate the 23-year-old’s arrival on Merseyside subsequent 12 months, and fortunately we have already got two excellent goalkeepers within the first-team squad in Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher – an abundance of riches which’d be the envy of even a few of Europe’s prime golf equipment.
EOTK Shut-up with John Welsh: ‘a neighborhood lad who lived his dream’ and Slot’s LFC predictions
