Diogo Dalot Makes Debut as Manchester United Defeat Young Boys in Switzerland

Diogo Dalot

When Diogo Dalot signed for Manchester United in the summer, few fans had heard of him. However, against Young Boys, he delivered a strong performance and looked comfortable on the pitch. His crosses were a joy to watch because they were hit ferociously and accurately. His strength allowed him to shake off Loris Benito at left-back and then sprint to the byline. The only blemish on his debut was being caught out of position once with a clever volley from Miralem Sulejmani. However, Young Boys couldn’t capitalize on the moment, and no harm was done. Besides, Manchester United fans have craved a right-back with Dalot’s qualities for years. Between Dalot and Luke Shaw, the pitch seems wider and Manchester United’s play feels more fluid.

Paul Pogba

It would be bordering on criminal not to dive into Paul Pogba’s performance against Young Boys. The Frenchman wore the captain’s armband and took the match by the scruff of the neck. Pogba swept the ball into the channels, won fouls, weighted through passes to Romelu Lukaku and sprayed passes like Paul Scholes. Of course, he was also involved in every goal that Manchester United scored. He scored an absolute thunderbolt with his left foot to open the scoring, smashed his penalty kick into the top corner and looked unstoppable in full sprint while providing an assist for Anthony Martial. In this match and the matches against Burnley and Watford, fans saw the Paul Pogba that won four Serie A titles and a World Cup.

The Bigger Picture

Manchester United simply had to kick off this Champions League campaign well. This group contains tougher opponents such as Serie A’s Juventus and La Liga’s Valencia. That is, points will only become harder to come by as this competition continues. Additionally, Manchester United needed a result to push away the ghosts of the Sevilla match last year. At the moment, the players look confident and refreshed. Considering their next opponent in the Premier League – Wolverhampton Wanderers – they’ll need to bring those qualities back to Old Trafford.

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