Sports
AS a football team, you have achieved something special when an impromptu parade and celebration in the centre of your capital city is organised at 2am.
Those were the scenes in Georgia, after the national team beat Greece on penalties to qualify for Euro 2024 – their first major senior tournament.
“Within about an hour [of full-time] we were told ‘get on the coach, we are going to do a victory parade through Tbilisi’,” assistant manager David Webb tells BBC Sport.
“I’ve never seen anything like it – the streets were lit up with fans. A drive that usually takes 10 minutes took about an hour to get into the centre. Then we were on Freedom Square, it was incredible.”
Those scenes followed Georgia beating the 2004 European champions on penalties in Tbilisi, having earned a spot in the play-offs through winning their Nations League group in League C.
And victory on spot-kicks after a goalless draw earned Georgia a first major finals place at the 15th time of asking, after they failed to qualify for a tournament since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
“It was the best day in my life, and the best day for many Georgians,” Saba Sapanadze, Georgia fan and presenter of the YouTube channel Geo Team, tells BBC Sport.
“I’ve never seen such emotion before. The game finished at midnight, and until 7am people were still walking the streets, all crying and hugging each other.”
As well as being a historic first for Georgia, it also exorcises the demons of four years ago when they reached the play-off final to qualify for Euro 2020 – but were beaten 1-0 at home by North Macedonia.
Georgia have now taken the next step, and a large portion of this is being put down to the management team of Willy Sagnol and assistant Webb.
Sagnol, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and 2006 World Cup finalist with France, was recruited by Georgia in 2021 and oversaw their promotion to League B of the Nations League for the first time – in the process earning their play-off spot which led to the Euros.
“He is a winner,” Sapanadze says of Sagnol. “He gave us a winning mentality. He is very brave, giving many young players chances to play for the national team.
“The last coach, Vladimir Weiss, was not brave like Sagnol. He always preferred experienced players.”
It has not always been easy for Sagnol, however. Georgia finished fourth in their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind Spain, Scotland and Norway. In September 2023, they were thumped 7-1 at home by the Spanish.
This led to backroom changes, and Sagnol called on Webb – who, having been sacked from his previous job as manager of National League side York City after 11 games, did not seem the obvious choice.
But the 44-year-old Englishman has years of experience as a youth coach, scout and technical director for clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth, and has known Sagnol for years after a chance encounter while scouting a youth match in France.
“We share football philosophies, the same way of developing players and the way we like the game to be played,” Webb says of his relationship with Sagnol.
“I have a Masters [degree] in sports psychology; he said ‘you could really work on the one-to-ones and the group dynamics’ – it really complements his role.
“Also we have really got on as people. If you are going to be in such close proximity you have got to have a good working relationship.”
Webb joined Sagnol’s team in November 2023, splitting his time between Surrey, Tbilisi and scouting Georgian players across Europe.
It has been a culture shock for Webb, who is grateful for training sessions being run in English.
“I’ve learned some little bits of Georgian, but it is a difficult language.”
Are there any particular phrases he has mastered? “No, and I don’t want to embarrass myself by doing some now!”
While his Georgian needs work, Webb’s coaching skills have been praised by the nation’s football journalists as a key reason for their qualification.
“Sagnol needed to bring experience to the team – Webb has brought that,” Georgian football journalist Edo Badalashvili tells BBC Sport. “We needed those who played and coached at the highest level, Sagnol and Webb were also good friends. Sagnol knew what he was doing – it was a great choice.”
“When they lost to Spain 7-1, we were so sad and surprised,” adds Sapanadze. “But after this game, many things changed. The players showed good character, and Webb has helped them show better mentality. He is a very important person in the national team.”
Webb, who never played football professionally, studied sports psychology at university before taking his first job in football as a youth coach at Crystal Palace aged 22.
Across two decades in football he has maintained a passion for developing a stronger mentality in players – something which proved vital in the shootout against Greece.
“I was always fascinated by the idea of players’ characters, their environments, and them as people,” he says.
“Working with Willy, he wanted to bring in different dynamics. At different stages of the camps we tried to focus on different things – in the last one with the play-offs it was about being calm under pressure, shutting out the noise and just doing our job.
“I think that really helped. I did it in a presentation format with the group, then on a one-to-one basis with some of the staff and players. It was about filtering down our message and keeping calm heads.
“The emotion can sometimes get the better of players, especially when playing in Georgia where the outside noise was incredible.”
While they may have never played at a major tournament, Georgia have a few potent threats as they aim to navigate a tricky Group F also featuring Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic.
Prime among those is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Serie A winner with Napoli and skilful winger extraordinaire.
“Many people think Maradona is the greatest player in football history – we have Kvaradona,” enthuses Saparadze.
Having a debut nation’s weight on your shoulders can be tough for a player, but Kvaratskhelia – with Champions League and Serie A experience to his name – is backed to handle that by Webb.
“He plays a key role,” Webb says. “He is quite quiet, although most of them [Georgian players] are. He is a top player and shows that through training and dedication – he always wants to stay and practice after training, things like finishing drills.
“He has that real hunger that filters through the group. Khvicha is a silent leader.”
Georgia are not a one-man team either, with notable names including midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze who has impressed in the Championship with Watford this season, and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Signed as Valencia’s fourth-choice stopper in 2021, Mamardashvili took advantage of injuries at Mestalla Stadium to establish himself in the team. The 23-year-old is now Valencia captain and regarded as one of La Liga’s finest keepers.
Georgia’s Euros debut marks a historic moment for a nation three decades out of the Soviet Union but still finding an identity, between a European outlook and ties to Russia.
Relations with Russia have always been variable – with the nadir coming in the 2008 war – while Georgia has seen weeks of protests over a divisive “foreign agent” law which critics call the ‘Russia law’ and say could be used to threaten civil liberties.
“Everything changed – football stopped here,” says Badalashvili. “It felt Europe had forgotten about Georgia; no-one needed Georgian players.
“In Georgia we know how to play football. But Europe forgets about this.”
Webb says the team are aware of the protests but will stick to football rather than issues they have no control over, while Sapanadze says this tournament is an opportunity to look to the future rather than the Soviet past.
“Always we wanted to say, ‘Georgia is Georgia’,” he says. “Now at Euro 2024, we have a good chance to say that to people who don’t know Georgia. We are a small country, but we have a big heart.”
Georgia are rank outsiders for Euro 2024, with some bookmakers offering odds of 750-1 to lift the trophy in Germany.
But Sapanadze thinks they could cause an upset, with a particular eye on their major tournament debut against Turkey on 18 June in Dortmund, then their fixture versus the Czech Republic in Hamburg five days later.
“I think we will be a surprise for many countries in this Euros,” he says. “The first two games will be very important. We can get points against Turkey and the Czech Republic.
“Portugal is favourite in our group, but our aim is second or a best-third-place finish.”
Webb meanwhile says that while his side will not be going to Germany as tourists, the emphasis is on enjoying the experience without undue pressure.
“We haven’t said we have got to qualify, we are taking it game by game.” – BBCSport
A.I
June 18, 2024 @ 07:59 GMT
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