{"id":50569,"date":"2026-04-27T18:59:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=50569"},"modified":"2026-04-27T18:59:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:29:56","slug":"defend-like-youre-hungry-kvaratskhelia-reveals-how-luis-enrique-transformed-his-defensive-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/football\/defend-like-youre-hungry-kvaratskhelia-reveals-how-luis-enrique-transformed-his-defensive-game\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDefend Like You\u2019re Hungry\u201d \u2013 Kvaratskhelia reveals how Luis Enrique transformed his defensive game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"auto\">Paris Saint-Germain winger <strong>Khvicha Kvaratskhelia<\/strong> has opened up about his rapid adaptation under <strong>Luis Enrique<\/strong>, highlighting the intense focus on defensive work that has become a hallmark of the Spanish coach\u2019s system at the Parc des Princes.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The Georgian international, who joined PSG from Napoli in January 2025 for around \u20ac70 million, has quickly become one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe. Yet, in a recent interview, Kvaratskhelia emphasized that his biggest personal growth at PSG has come off the ball.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"auto\">Kvaratskhelia on Luis Enrique\u2019s Defensive Demands<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"auto\">\u201c<strong>Luis Enrique helped me to improve on defending. I\u2019m working a lot on that<\/strong>,\u201d Kvaratskhelia said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">He added with characteristic intensity: \u201c<strong>Under Luis Enrique, you\u2019ve to defend like you\u2019re crazy hungry<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">This quote perfectly captures the high-pressing, all-action style Luis Enrique demands from his wide players. At PSG, even star attackers are expected to track back relentlessly, press opponents high up the pitch, and contribute to the team\u2019s defensive structure \u2014 a clear evolution from Kvaratskhelia\u2019s more attack-focused role during his early days at Napoli.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The 25-year-old has embraced the challenge, turning himself into a \u201cwarrior\u201d (as Luis Enrique recently described him) who combines explosive dribbling, clinical finishing, and now elite-level work rate without the ball.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"auto\">From Napoli Sensation to PSG All-Rounder<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Kvaratskhelia exploded onto the scene with Napoli, helping them win the 2022-23 Serie A title with his mazy runs and flair on the left wing. His nickname \u201cKvara\u201d or \u201cGeorgian Messi\u201d reflected his dazzling attacking talent.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Since arriving in Paris, however, he has taken his game to another level under Luis Enrique\u2019s guidance. The coach, known for his intense tactical preparation and emphasis on collective pressing, has pushed Kvaratskhelia to become more disciplined defensively while preserving his natural creativity.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Recent performances show the results: Kvaratskhelia has contributed goals and assists across Ligue 1 and the Champions League, often shining in big matches. Luis Enrique has repeatedly praised the Georgian\u2019s mentality, character, and willingness to defend \u201cregardless of the fixture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has opened up about his rapid adaptation under Luis Enrique, highlighting the intense focus on\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":50571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[5331],"class_list":["post-50569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-kvaratskhelia"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50569"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50572,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50569\/revisions\/50572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}