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Georges Mikautadze: On a mission to save Metz before Georgia’s debut at the Euros

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In every season when a team is fighting to avoid relegation, they need a story to survive. Sometimes it’s a battle against the odds, sometimes a late awakening of one of those “too big to go down” clubs. And sometimes it’s a hero from within, one player who rises above the difficulties of the season, the quality of his teammates or even the perceived limits of his own abilities, and produces game after game which wins points and saves a team’s season. In Ligue 1, at Metz, that player might just be Georges Mikautadze.

By Karl Matchett

If you’re not yet familiar with him, it’s time to get up to speed. The French-born Georgian is an aggressive, technically gifted, and ferocious forward, already a hero of sorts with the Metz fans but back in 2024 for a second dance at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.

Still only 23 years old, he has already made his mark here once and earned a big-money move; the fact that hasn’t yet paid off might just say more about his parent club than anything he has particularly done wrong. More on that shortly, though.

For now, Mikautadze is a man in form and on the verge of rewriting the season entirely for his club. Metz were looking dead in the water only a few short weeks ago; between 26 November and 3 March they didn’t win a single game, sat level on points with bottom club Clermont Foot and only above them by virtue of a couple of goals, while averaging considerably fewer than a goal per game scored.

Enter the Georgian international.

Loaned back in January, he scored his first goal back in the side on 23 February – and since then has been on a one-man mission to keep his team in the top flight. Following that strike against Lyon, another followed – and an assist – to beat Nantes, ending Metz’s two-and-a-half month winless streak. Fast forward to the present day and it’s four wins in the last seven for Metz, with Mikautadze scoring five in those victories and tallying eight goals and one assist in his last ten. Metz are now 15th, one point above the relegation play-off place and only two points down on Nantes above them. That’s thanks to last weekend’s vital 1-0 win over Le Havre, a win that saw Metz leapfrog their opponents, with Mikautadze’s left foot responsible for providing the goal.

Keep looking ahead to the near future and regardless of Metz’s ultimate fortunes, there’s a strong possibility of Mikautadze announcing himself on an even grander stage: Georgia’s circuitous route to Euro 2024 means he’ll be part of the summer tournament, lining up with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and co. under head coach Willy Sagnol. He already has nine senior goals in 24 caps and given the form he’s heading into summer in, the odds are on him adding to that against Portugal, Czech Republic or Turkey.

How he fares there, as much as in the final weeks of Ligue 1, may determine his next move. Metz do have an option to sign him back in summer for considerably less than they sold him for in August – to Ajax. The bizarre part of it is, Mikautadze was hardly given a look-in with the Eredivisie side, despite them splashing out on him and then going on to suffer one of their worst campaigns ever, certainly in the first half of the season. They offloaded him without a thought and he has since shown why they wanted him in the first place; it seems unlikely he’ll return for a second bite at the Amsterdam Arena. Metz, then, could sign him and immediately sell him on, or else use his talents to spearhead another season in Ligue 1, should they survive.

Mikautadze’s talents are highlighted in the fact he’s slightly outperforming his xG for the season in Ligue 1, 10 strikes in total to 7.72 xG, as well as in the fact he ranks higher than 96% of top-flight forwards in France for successful dribbles per 90 minutes. He’s not shy of the work required in a team at the bottom either: 3.16 recoveries per 90, 16 times winning possession in the final third – ranking him better than 88% of forwards in France on a per 90 basis – and 100% of his tackles won. OK, the last is pure embellishment, given he’s only made two tackles. But the point remains: he’s an on-and off-the-ball all-rounder, still learning his game but making up for lack of nous with an excess of intent.

He’s by no means perfect or the finished article yet, but Mikautadze has the energy, the raw tools and the speed of footwork to really make a mark at the top end of the game in the seasons to come. For now though, for this season, he’s turning mission impossible into simply his mission. In a huge game this weekend at the bottom against Le Havre, he can help Metz take another big step towards salvation.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game in Ligue 1 with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.

Georges Mikautadze: On a mission to save Metz before Georgia’s debut at the Euros

In every season when a team is fighting to avoid relegation, they need a story to survive. Sometimes it’s a battle against the odds, sometimes a late awakening of one of those “too big to go down” clubs. And sometimes it’s a hero from within, one player who rises above the difficulties of the season, the quality of his teammates or even the perceived limits of his own abilities, and produces game after game which wins points and saves a team’s season. In Ligue 1, at Metz, that player might just be Georges Mikautadze.

By Karl Matchett

If you’re not yet familiar with him, it’s time to get up to speed. The French-born Georgian is an aggressive, technically gifted, and ferocious forward, already a hero of sorts with the Metz fans but back in 2024 for a second dance at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.

Still only 23 years old, he has already made his mark here once and earned a big-money move; the fact that hasn’t yet paid off might just say more about his parent club than anything he has particularly done wrong. More on that shortly, though.

For now, Mikautadze is a man in form and on the verge of rewriting the season entirely for his club. Metz were looking dead in the water only a few short weeks ago; between 26 November and 3 March they didn’t win a single game, sat level on points with bottom club Clermont Foot and only above them by virtue of a couple of goals, while averaging considerably fewer than a goal per game scored.

Enter the Georgian international.

Loaned back in January, he scored his first goal back in the side on 23 February – and since then has been on a one-man mission to keep his team in the top flight. Following that strike against Lyon, another followed – and an assist – to beat Nantes, ending Metz’s two-and-a-half month winless streak. Fast forward to the present day and it’s four wins in the last seven for Metz, with Mikautadze scoring five in those victories and tallying eight goals and one assist in his last ten. Metz are now 15th, one point above the relegation play-off place and only two points down on Nantes above them. That’s thanks to last weekend’s vital 1-0 win over Le Havre, a win that saw Metz leapfrog their opponents, with Mikautadze’s left foot responsible for providing the goal.

Keep looking ahead to the near future and regardless of Metz’s ultimate fortunes, there’s a strong possibility of Mikautadze announcing himself on an even grander stage: Georgia’s circuitous route to Euro 2024 means he’ll be part of the summer tournament, lining up with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and co. under head coach Willy Sagnol. He already has nine senior goals in 24 caps and given the form he’s heading into summer in, the odds are on him adding to that against Portugal, Czech Republic or Turkey.

How he fares there, as much as in the final weeks of Ligue 1, may determine his next move. Metz do have an option to sign him back in summer for considerably less than they sold him for in August – to Ajax. The bizarre part of it is, Mikautadze was hardly given a look-in with the Eredivisie side, despite them splashing out on him and then going on to suffer one of their worst campaigns ever, certainly in the first half of the season. They offloaded him without a thought and he has since shown why they wanted him in the first place; it seems unlikely he’ll return for a second bite at the Amsterdam Arena. Metz, then, could sign him and immediately sell him on, or else use his talents to spearhead another season in Ligue 1, should they survive.

Mikautadze’s talents are highlighted in the fact he’s slightly outperforming his xG for the season in Ligue 1, 10 strikes in total to 7.72 xG, as well as in the fact he ranks higher than 96% of top-flight forwards in France for successful dribbles per 90 minutes. He’s not shy of the work required in a team at the bottom either: 3.16 recoveries per 90, 16 times winning possession in the final third – ranking him better than 88% of forwards in France on a per 90 basis – and 100% of his tackles won. OK, the last is pure embellishment, given he’s only made two tackles. But the point remains: he’s an on-and off-the-ball all-rounder, still learning his game but making up for lack of nous with an excess of intent.

He’s by no means perfect or the finished article yet, but Mikautadze has the energy, the raw tools and the speed of footwork to really make a mark at the top end of the game in the seasons to come. For now though, for this season, he’s turning mission impossible into simply his mission. In a huge game this weekend at the bottom against Le Havre, he can help Metz take another big step towards salvation.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game in Ligue 1 with xG, deep stats, and players ratings, on FotMob this season. Download the free app here.