Picture of Diogo Dalot
Picture of Diogo Dalot
Manchester United finally clinched a win after 10 games in all competitions, and what a victory it was.
AS Roma scored twice within the opening 18 minutes, and it seemed things would go downhill from there given the Red Devils’ form.
But the players rallied together and emerged as a different outfit in the second half. They pressed on the front foot and countered with pace, and Matheus Cunha stole the show with a match-winning brace after Bruno Fernandes had got the comeback rolling.
It was United’s first win in almost two months, and the pressure will ease on Michael Carrick, who still needs to navigate the Aston Villa game to survive until the November international break.
Diogo Dalot on United’s struggles this season
Diogo Dalot explained after the game that it was not only Carrick but also the players who were feeling the heat, and they know they have not come close to matching the levels they had shown in the second half of last season.
“Not just the manager, everyone is under pressure,” he replied. “I mean, when you don’t win games for this football club, every moment, every person, everyone involved gets under pressure.
“These moments are really tough, I’m not going to lie,” he revealed. “Unfortunately, I’ve had a few moments like this in the past, and the only way for us to get out is by winning football games.
“I think that’s the only way you can get confidence. And nights like this, like I’ve said, give you an extra confidence that make you believe that you can create these moments, not just for us, but for the fans.
On how Roma result could turn United’s season around
Nonetheless, the Portugal international feels this win can galvanise the group and could prove to be the turning point in United’s season.
“And it’s important from everyone around the club feeling that we care, that we want to turn this around, and I think we’ve showed, especially in the second 45 minutes, that we really want to turn this around.
“We felt it obviously, because we’re not near good enough of what we should have done. And like I said, nights like this can change momentum, can change seasons, and I think this win is going to give us confidence for the next games.”
Whatever Carrick had said at half-time did the trick, and the right-back felt the group deserved praise for the intensity they showed when the chips were down.
Second half plans
“I think a really good second half. I think we came with the right attitude and I think we did pretty much everything that we needed to do to turn the game on, and I mean, it’s moments like this, it’s nights like this that can change momentum, and hopefully we can change ours.”
Currently playing on the opposite flank in Luke Shaw’s absence, Diogo Dalot was at fault for the opening goal, and he revealed that it was the head coach’s decision for him to stay high and wide with Cunha roaming inside.
“Yes, obviously,” he confirmed when questioned about being instructed to push forward. “We knew that they were going to play man-to-man, but that requires some things that we need to avoid, especially losing balls in the middle, because we knew that we’re going to be too open.
The team did correct their approach in the second half, as the 27-year-old pointed out.
“But after, obviously, after the second goal, we tried to fix it straight away. I think we balanced a little bit more the game and kept ourselves in the game, and I think second half we came right at it and won the game.”
This morale-boosting win needs to be followed up with another positive result against the Villans. For that to happen, the players and Carrick need to up their game again at the weekend.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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