On Saturday, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena gave an assessment of Erwin Saavedra’s time with the club, exactly a year after the Bolivian made his debut for the DStv Premiership.
Saavedra was signed from Bolivar in the January transfer window last year, but his time at the club has been affected by injury. This season, the 26-year-old has made five appearances, one more than he did last term.
Coincidently, Saavedra made his debut against Sudanese side Al Hilal on February 11, 2022, and Sundowns are set to play the club on the same date this year in their opening group stage match for the 2022/23 edition of the Champions League. Whether or not Saavedra will feature this weekend is unclear.
Speaking to media during a press conference ahead of the Champions League clash against Hilal, Mokwena said: “It’s been very difficult for him. It’s not easy coming from a different country and it’s not easy coming from an area where the football is different and the food is different. He comes into a country where he does not bring his family. He’s got a newborn baby boy and it becomes difficult to be in South Africa without knowing how the boy is doing every single day. From a psychological perspective, you can understand the challenges that come into that space, apart from the injuries.”
Mokwena went on to say: “Already, if you get injured, you need a lot more social warmth because that helps more than anything else to recover from injuries. And then if there is a psychological hurdle to overcome, then it becomes even more difficult. He has played for the national team, which means he has played games of consequence and games of pressure. There is an interesting documentary of the Argentinean road to Qatar. One of the highlights is of Saavedra scoring against Argentina. He is a player who comes with competitive pedigree and you see the quality in the games he has played. From the football perspective, the adaptation is not too much of a challenge. It’s just been the physical with regards to injuries and for me it’s been the mental. But having said that, he is a player who shows incredible characteristics and we are still to see the best of him in Mamelodi Sundowns colours for sure.”
