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.”
