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Savinho may not know much English yet but that has not shielded him from the criticism he has seen of his start to Manchester City life.
The 20-year-old winger hasn’t even had a bad start to his career at the Etihad, but the team’s dive from a winning machine to a spluttering mess that managed just one victory in 13 games meant nobody was safe, and Savinho’s inability to score before Christmas left a target on his back. Pep Guardiola reassured him that as soon as he got the first there would be more to come, but it still left him ‘anxious’ as he tried to get on any scoreboard going.
Savinho could feel a little aggrieved at the situation he found himself in this season. New signings – particularly young ones – are normally allowed to acclimatise in a successful side, bedding in in their first year before moving through the gears.
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Instead, the Brazilian has been expected to transform a side that has lost its way and use his absence of baggage to lift a team straining to defend their legacy. For a young man far from home adapting to a new life, it hasn’t been easy but Savinho feels better for having seen critical messages about his performances.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “It’s complicated because I was watching from the outside. I was playing and watching the game. I think it’s good to play for Manchester City because they’re the best team in the world.
“Every two or three days you get an opportunity to go again. You can’t relax, you can’t think about losses or bad results. You get the opportunity to go again and gain confidence. That’s what we’ve been able to do over the last couple of games.
“I’m a very hard-working guy. I don’t only see good comments, I also see bad comments, which helps both sides. I try to improve a lot in training, and Pep’s team and his teammates. I was very confident when I had the chance, and I was happy to score my first goal vs Leicester.
“I’m very anxious for the two months before that match. I’m very lucky, I started scoring goals, so let’s keep it up.”
Savinho not only scored against Leicester but set Erling Haaland up for a goal, then after forcing the first goal against West Ham he set Haaland up for another two. Five of his seven assists for City have been for the big No.9 and the two have the makings of a strong partnership – despite not speaking each other’s languages.
“It’s very easy to play with him. When he’s in the area I try to find him and I know his movements. We talk a lot, I don’t speak English but he understands me and I understand him,” Savinho said.
“I usually pass the ball to him because I know he won’t waste it and he’ll score. We talk a lot and we understand each other. Whenever he’s in the area I’m always looking for him to get the ball to him.”