"Countless people don't want Portugal to win": Everything Dalot said

— How is the atmosphere within the Portugal squad?

— Good. We've had some tough days after a result that wasn't what we wanted. But as the days pass, our focus shifts, and what we want is to win the next game. More than normal, we are focused, with that objective of winning the next game.

— Diogo, you're one of Ronaldo's closest teammates. Does he feel marginalized by the group? And how do you view the team's dynamic?

— Everyone knows Cristiano's ability to handle criticism; he's been playing for the national team for over 20 years. I believe what he brings to the group, he's conveyed to us that criticism is part of it, and being in the biggest competition of all, criticism is always present. The confidence he instills in us, and we in him, has always been and will remain the same as long as he represents the national team.

— Could this draw actually benefit the national team by lowering expectations? Is that something necessary?

— I believe so. We always try to find a positive way out of difficult moments, and this could be a point for us – not to shy away from responsibility, but to keep our feet on the ground. To win a competition like this, you have to go through difficulties. I can't recall a national team winning the World Cup without facing challenges. For us, having a less positive result, that's what we're looking for: to see this as an opportunity to improve. Now, it's important to continue feeling the support of the Portuguese people, to feel they are with us, but it's impossible to win the World Cup without going through difficulties.

— Do you feel Portugal has a greater obligation to win convincingly? And what do you know about Uzbequistão's strengths?

— Winning is the most important thing, convincing or not, a victory is always a victory. We have three games to advance to the next stage, and every point is crucial. We'll face a tenacious, aggressive team with quality players. It won't be an easy game; they'll create difficulties just like DR Congo did. It's up to us to find solutions during the match.

— Would the national team be better prepared to play DR Congo today?

— We don't have much time to train between games, but from our analysis, some aspects were quite obvious. If we played the game again the next day, we would be able to rectify those two or three details that are sometimes harder to adjust during a match. We'll have another opportunity to improve, and I believe we will rectify some things that were left undone.

— Are the criticisms of Cristiano unfair? And why?

— I'm not a pundit. As much as some information reaches us... yesterday they had a very clear press conference to show that the group is completely shielded. It doesn't need to be another topic; there's no point in dwelling on the same issue, especially since the criticism won't stop, even if we win the next game. The message we always want to convey is: of course, we have millions of people who want Portugal to win, and we have many people who don't want Portugal to win. If they want to row with us, we will row, and the boat won't stop. I've been in football long enough to understand that criticism is part of the process. The message is clear: the group is good, strong, cohesive, we know what we have to do to win the next game, but we also know that many people don't want us to.

— How do you manage the competition for the right-back position?

— I've always been in strong competition. I'm the first to want to play; that's always been my goal. Whenever I've had the opportunity, I've been able to help, especially in a competition like this. It's common for everyone to understand that only 11 can play. But I'm also aware that in a competition like this, it's very difficult for everyone not to get opportunities, and I'll always be ready, with fire in my belly, to get on the field.

— You said there are people who don't want the national team to win. Can you elaborate?

— I don't know... I'm not going to name one or two people; there are countless people who don't want Portugal to win. If I had to name them, we'd never leave here. It's not my job to name people who wish us well or ill. My job is to train well, to convey the message that the group is strong, united. It's important that they feel that the group, despite the criticism, is looking for solutions, and that's our focus. I won't be naming names because I'm not a pundit.

— The logic applied to Vitinha and João Neves for playing at PSG, can it also be applied to Ronaldo and João Félix?

— It will always be positive because it creates dynamics between players. This is one of the great advantages we have; it's a group that has shared many locker rooms, many moments on the field together. If this duo is better than another, it doesn't make much sense, because the national team is different from clubs. We try to compare a lot of what is done at the club and in the national team, but now we have to understand that the dynamics are different, the game model too. A great player tries to find solutions in different contexts, and that's what we try to do as much as possible.

— Do the surprises in the World Cup serve as a warning? And have you considered the difference between finishing first or not?

— I know perfectly well that in a competition like this, it would be naive to come here and think that theory alone will win games. Teams earn their place here. We had that experience where a less strong national team also creates difficulties. That's what also makes a competition like this beautiful. As a football fan, that's what I want, but when it's against me, I prefer that others don't play great games and that Portugal comes out victorious.

— Do you think continuing to say that Portugal is a favorite doesn't do the national team any good?

— Great expectations were created, and rightly so; I don't want the national team to hide that it wants to go far in the competition. But expectation is one thing, and what we do in reality is another. Do we have the capacity? Without a doubt. Are we working for it? Of course. In the last game, we didn't do enough to win, but we have another opportunity to change that image. We have 90 minutes to win a game. That anxiety to win the game and control it ended up betraying us a bit in terms of how we played.

— Vitinha said that when he arrived at PSG, there were great players, but that didn't mean PSG was a great team. Portugal has great players, but do you think it has a great team?

— Without a doubt, and we've already proven it. I know what you're getting at with the question, but to answer directly, we have a great team, and we've already demonstrated that.

— How did you deal with the controversy surrounding João Neves? Did you speak with João?

— Without revealing too much of what we do within our camp, we had an opportunity to discuss this before arriving at the World Cup. When you have Cristiano in the squad, you have to be prepared for a different kind of uproar than normal. The fact that we had that conversation to prepare for these moments... that's where the message comes from that the group is shielded. We knew we would go through this, and it ended up happening. Sometimes something unfair that doesn't correspond to the truth takes on a giant proportion, and it ended up happening. The positive side is that it happened early, so we also put the matter to rest and move on.

— Have you spoken with Roberto Martínez about potentially playing at center-back?

— As you can imagine, I'm not going to go to the coach and say: "If you need me to play goalkeeper...". He knows that there are players with the ability to play in various positions. It makes sense for me to convey to the coaches that I have that capacity, because throughout my career I've played several positions, but I didn't knock on his door. He knows, not just me, because we have several players who can play that position.

— How do you overcome social media criticism to now try and beat Uzbequistão?

— The best response is given on the field. We can't control the noise, but we can control our training, how we prepare. Have confidence that we can win the game and come Tuesday, win the game.

— In such a short World Cup, what importance do leaders like Cristiano have?

— Not just Cristiano; fortunately, we have a lot of experience in the team. We have players who are in their third World Cup, many completing their second. Obviously, Cristiano is already in his sixth. In moments of difficulty, that experience has to be passed on to the group, and we are doing that. Day by day, we try not to dramatize not having won the first World Cup game. We know it's not a result that matches our quality, but it's part of it. We had good preparation, and now it's time to turn things around.

— What's your plan to break down Uzbequistão's low block?

— Our analysis after the game was very clear. Against a team that plays so deep with a back five, it's very difficult to find space if we don't have a well-structured setup. We lacked players in the middle against DR Congo, and that was clear. That's the most positive takeaway from that game. More than having a plan, we have players who can find solutions. The quality we possess can be very beneficial. We know it will be a difficult game, but we have the conditions to win.