If Giorgi Mamardashvili intended to play the long game when he joined Liverpool, it’s proved to be a wise move.
The Georgia international was announced by the Reds in August 2024 but would not fully link up with the squad until the 2025/26 campaign.
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It meant Mamardashvili had a season to prepare himself for the rigours of English football with Valencia before moving to Merseyside.
The 25-year-old left no stone unturned ahead of the impending switch, so much so he pressed former Georgia assistant coach David Webb on how defensive units in the Premier League typically communicate.
Mamardashvili’s pre-Liverpool training pays off
“When we was first speaking, I think I was speaking to him about the move potentially,” Webb said on eSPORTY’s Hawksbee and Jacobs.
“He was so dedicated. He asked me, ‘David, can I have a list of phrases that English defenders say to the goalkeepers? Can you text them all to me?’
“And I’m like, ‘OK.’ So I’m thinking of all these phrases. And he says, ‘Is there any more?’ He said, ‘I don’t want to miss. I want to understand.’
“He can speak good English anyway. He just wanted to really adapt and get into the culture.”
Mamardashvili’s 2024/25 campaign with Valencia also proved to be his last, at least for now, as a starting goalkeeper.
Given he’d enjoyed three seasons as Valencia’s number one, some eyebrows may have been raised when Mamardashvili was confirmed as a future Liverpool player given Alisson’s status as the Reds’ undisputed first choice between the sticks.
Mad Dash to the starting role
However, the Georgia ace has been thrust into action more often than he initially anticipated due to Alisson’s repeated hamstring issues.
The Brazilian has been sidelined for 15 games across all competitions with a hamstring injury, including the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
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However, Liverpool boss Arne Slot claimed Alisson is ‘working very hard on his recovery’ and hopes to ‘have him back in the near future’.
With Alisson out, it opens the door for Mamardashvili to once again step between the sticks.
The 25-year-old has already made 16 appearances across all competitions for the Reds this term and could certainly add to that given Alisson’s repeated injury woes.
With Alisson enduring stints on the sidelines, Webb conceded there was an ‘anticipation’ Mamardashvili knew he would get chances to start in goal for Liverpool.
Mamardashvili’s patience pays off
“Also, if you look at Alisson, sometimes he, you know, he’s had a few injuries over the last few years, so he was sort of not wanting that to happen, but being ready when that did happen to take his chance,” Webb said.
“So, I think that was the anticipation.
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“If he could get, I don’t know, 10, 15 games throughout the year and then obviously feel that natural progression when Alisson retires or moves on.”
Rough start to life as a Red
Although Mamardashvili has enjoyed a perhaps unexpected amount of game time, it has very much been a baptism of fire for the Georgia gloveman.
He has kept just two clean sheets and conceded 11 goals from seven Premier League starts.
Mamardashvili also shipped four in the Reds’ humiliating FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
The 25-year-old hasn’t had the best of luck in European action, either.
Mamardashvili has featured in six of Liverpool’s Champions League fixtures this season and has lost four of those while managing just one clean sheet.
That solitary shut-out came in the Reds’ 1-0 win over Real Madrid on November 4.
Slot could definitely do with similar displays from Mamardashvili for the remainder of the campaign as they look to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League to secure Champions League football for another season.
