Diogo Dalot has warned Tottenham that Manchester United must make a different proposal to the one they faced in the Premier League in September.
Captain Bruno Fernandes' first-half red card, which was later withdrawn, obviously had a huge impact on proceedings, with the Reds eventually sliding to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
It was the first thing on Dalot's mind when we spoke to preview the Carabao Cup quarter-final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the final place in the last four is up for grabs.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United qualified for the two-legged semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
“It's going to be a good game, especially because of the feeling we left the last game we played against them at Old Trafford,” the defender told club media. “I don't think we played at our best. That's why we want to give a different answer in these types of games.
“I think we started the game in the worst possible way. So I think we have to show from the start that we are going there to win the game. We want to get back to Wembley.”
“So these are the best games to play against really good teams. It's a good team, so it's a good challenge that we're looking forward to.”
It is the first part of a double header in north London for Ruben Amorim's men, with the Emirates FA Cup third round against Arsenal in the new year.
However, Dalot refuses to group the challenges that way, saying: “We just take it one match at a time. I know it's a cliché, but it doesn't matter. We don't do that and we can't focus too much on what is coming.” forward.
“We only have one game left on Thursday. So that's what we're going to focus on.”
It's clear that everyone is happy with the Manchester derby win last weekend and Dalot was most pleased with the way the victory was achieved, plus the fact that it allowed the jubilant away fans to celebrate at the Etihad Stadium.
“Yes, it was obviously very important for us as a team, for the club and especially for the fans as they have stayed with us all the time,” he explained. “And it is important for us to realize that this is the path we want to go. It was clear that as a team it was a very good team victory, where we fought for the result until the end. I think it is important and shows real character.
“I had my family there [the away end]. They always try to be close to me, to watch the games. So it was actually even more special to have them there. I think they had a very good experience with the away fans.
“After they got the goal and the way the City fans celebrated it so close to them, they had the chance to celebrate two goals as well. I think it was special for them too. And obviously celebrating a win, a important victory.” for us.”
“It shows that we are going in the right direction,” he continued. “But it's obviously just one game. In football you can only be as good as your last game. So obviously it's important because we won against a really good team who have dominated English football for a while.
“So that shows that if we can build on this, we can improve and hopefully be in that position in the future. So it's important for us and for the club because it's a derby. rivals. So it was really good of us to get that win. And now it's time for the next one.
“I had the opportunity to say that for me personally it was probably the first time since I arrived that I had played at the Etihad. It was probably the first time we felt like we were in control. Control over the game, but also emotionally controlled. We never lost our heads.
“So that, I think, is very clear and it was very clear that we were always there with the belief that we could score at any time. The first goal shows that because we wanted to keep the pressure on. We wanted to be in the foreground to stand.” And hopefully we succeeded. So it shows that we are making progress in the direction this club needs to go.”
Amorim suggested he noticed a difference in mentality after the league defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, with more conviction and belief that our possession would turn into goals.
It's a view Dalot agrees with, and one he hopes to see more of from the team, in the 20:00 GMT kick-off against Spurs.
“I think that was the biggest difference from the match against Arsenal,” agreed the Portugal international. “Although, in my opinion, we were in control against Arsenal too, it was just the lack of aggression in the final third. That lack of belief that we could score at any time, even when we were 2-0 down, was I think this is the downside of this match.
“We were the complete opposite. Even when we lost 1-0 to City, we believed that we could score at any moment. And I think that was the big thing, that was the biggest change. So you can also see the progress from here But like I said, if you don't do it the next game, it doesn't really feel the same, so we have to keep this momentum going and keep doing the same things for the next games.”
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