Diogo Dalot talks about how Man United planned to beat City in the FA Cup final, how meeting Cristiano Ronaldo made him obsessed, and other things.
A Portuguese person is sitting in the Carrington press room at Manchester United and thinking about the FA Cup final. “As we used to say in my country, finals are there to win and not to just play in.”
This quote was made up by Jose Mourinho and said by Diogo Dalot. Mourinho brought Dalot to United, and he is still very much one of his people.
Those 11 words are Dalot’s motto before a game at Wembley that could save the season. Dalot, who is 25 years old, was an unused replacement in last year’s final and couldn’t play in United’s only win over Manchester City when Erik ten Hag was in charge because of an injury.
United lost a tough game at the national stadium in June of last year. “When the game was over, we actually felt like ‘we could have won it,'” Dalot remembers. “And to be so close to winning it and not do it, this season we have another chance.”
“So the club’s message is that this is our last game of the season.” We’re facing it that way, and we want to face it that way too. I think that’s the right way to face it.
Read more: Three spots in United’s Cup final XI are open.
For more, read: I trained Mainoo and Garnacho when they were 17 years old; more debuts will come.
Before he went to Manchester, Dalot spoke English very well. He is always fun to be around and gives thoughtful answers. Because he has become such a reliable spokesperson in dangerous areas, United’s press officers have actively looked for safer options. Andre Onana has made Dalot’s work easier after the game.
Dalot’s 50th game for United this season might be the hardest one for him so far. Since December 6, City hasn’t lost a game by a single goal. City has had 26 wins and 5 draws so far this year.
Last year, United was a strong underdog, but this year, some people think they are doomed to lose. “It gives me more energy,” Dalot tells those who don’t believe. “When you play for Manchester United, you shouldn’t be the underdog, but we’re going up against a team that has been destroying English football, and we want to be there.” Going forward, we want to be the team that everyone thinks will win every time.
It makes me feel strong because I don’t want to be in that situation. I’ve been with this club for a while, and I want to feel like we’re the best in every game, every tournament, and everywhere we go. Of course, that’s good for me because it makes me want to win even more.
“But at the same time, Carrington needs to have the attitude of, ‘Okay, if they think they can win, let’s see if they can.’ That’s the kind of push I’m trying to give my players. We’re getting ready for this game this week, and we’ll be ready to play when it comes around.
“These fans, the club, and we all want trophies, so we have a chance, but the pressure will always be high.”
“It’s crazy to think that City will slow down just because they won the league and everything else last year. We should expect them to be at their best because I think they will be. To win the game, we need to be at our best.
During a tactical breakdown, Dalot uses the word “suffer” four times, which makes me think he wants to be a teacher someday. “Be ready to play when you have the ball, because you can play against City and have the ball against City.”
“They are very good at counter-press but you can still find spaces and dominate the game and that’s what we should need to do on Saturday: without the ball, ready to suffer when we have to suffer and defend well, be compact, and when we have the ball try to hurt them in the spaces.”
Dalot likes to break away from the line-up and charge at the Stretford End or the away fans before a game. After his first season, he took a tour of Old Trafford with his family. Since then, they’ve logged a lot of miles flying to watch Dalot on pre-season trips and European away games.
He appreciates the time and money that people who go to the games spend. It’s easy to see why Dalot has been so sorry in front of the away fans after days as bad as Brighton and Brentford in 2022 and Crystal Palace. United lost all three by a score of 4-0.
At the end of the game at Brentford, the United players were met with rude hand gestures. It had been twenty-one months, and at Selhurst Park, the mood was peaceful and almost happy.
“Listen, I’m going to tell you the truth. “The way the fans cheered for us after that game against Palace made us feel like we didn’t deserve that,” Dalot says.
“Being physically and mentally ready for every game has become a little more important to me.” Injury problems plagued me early in my career, and that was all I could think about. Being available to play is the first step to being able to play, and if you’re not available, you won’t play.
“Then the confidence grows and you get a lot of minutes and after that you try to do the same things and the right things all the time.”
Ronaldo is 39 years old and is about to play in his sixth European Championship. His first one was 20 years ago. Bruno Fernandes missed the first two club games of his career because he was hurt, which were this month’s losses to Palace and Arsenal. The water in Portugal seems to have something in it.
It might have something to do with our society or the way we think. We’re always trying to do better, not just survive.” “We are a small country, but we have a lot of quality in every area,” Dalot starts. “But I think that to get the attention you deserve, you have to always fight to go abroad.”Even after that terrible game we had where we gave up four goals to Palace and lost 4-0, they were still there going after us. This is the kind of thing that makes these people unique.
“People who go to Man United games always think something special will happen. That’s what’s great about this club.” After every game, they always feel like something special is going to happen. That’s why we’re going into Saturday’s game trying to give them a great afternoon and make that happen.
Because of this, I always try to give something extra to the people whether I’m playing at Old Trafford or on the road. That’s what they expect, even if the stadium isn’t going as well as we had hoped.
“Even at Brighton, the away section was full, and they were singing to us at the end. We should be grateful for that, because it doesn’t happen at every club.” That’s what makes this club unique.
There have been bumps in Dalot’s growth. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn’t sure, so he demanded United look for a British right back a year after they wisely spent £19 million on Dalot. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival for £50 million, a string of injuries, and the choice to play Timothy Fosu-Mensah over Dalot all led to Dalot going on loan to AC Milan for the 2020 season.
Since the start of the 2020–21 season, Dalot has only been hurt for eight club games. He and Alejandro Garnacho are the only two outfielders who haven’t been hurt this season, when United’s medical staff has been like an episode of Casualty.
Dalot was named United players’ player of the year, and that longevity is no doubt a factor. He wears an exercise band that tracks how he sleeps and how well he recovers. Claudia, Dalot’s partner, had their first child, a girl named Clara, in November. All four grandparents help with the kids.
Before Erik ten Hag took over, he wasn’t happy with how the United players slept, recovered, or ate. Dalot keeps a close eye on all three tenets.
“I became a little bit more obsessed, especially after meeting Cristiano and spending a lot of time with him,” he says. “Being obsessed with being available and not putting the quality of your football first—first making sure you’re available.”
After that, it became a habit for me to try to get better at other things. When your body and mind are ready to play a lot of games, the game part comes after you’ve trained even better and played well.
“I could give you a list of everything I do every day, but mostly it’s just do the normal things that everyone talks about.” But I believe the key is to be steady and do everything every day. The regularity is what I think is the hardest part and what I’ve changed the most.
“I’ve been doing all of these things: sleeping, eating right, and getting better.” Everything that has to do with this. These three things seem to be the most important. I think it’s because I’ve been doing this every day. The exercise band is just something I use to keep track of what I do every day.
The society in Portugal is not the same as it is in England, which is a shame. They care a lot about what it means to be English, the English people, the English society, and their country. In Portugal, we mostly think that things that come from other countries are good; we don’t pay much attention to what’s going on in our own country.
“So there’s always this idea that we need to make money so we can do what we want to do abroad.” It might have something to do with the fact that we always try to show ourselves that we can be even better each year.
There’s no doubt that Fernandes is doing everything he can to play for and help the club. He’s been free for almost every game, which shows that if you’re free, you’re most likely to play games.
“This is the kind of way that I think every club, every squad should go because if you have 70-80 per cent of the players available every season, I think it’s going to be a lot easier than if you have 10-15 per cent.”
He says, “That’s part of being a football player.” “Are you ready to handle it?” Are you willing to go the extra mile for the group? Especially now in the season.
“And some games make you forget some of the pain.” What’s wrong with you and why. Because the team is short-handed and needs you. That did happen a few times this season, but for me it’s just… It seems fine to me.”
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