Skinner urges Manchester United not to grasp for UWCL qualification | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that his side must stay in the zone and not grasp for the opportunity to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s all-new league phase.

The Red Devils contest the second leg of their third qualifying round tie against SK Brann at the Leigh Sports Village on Thursday night. Manchester United trail 1-0 from the first leg in Norway.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United boss Skinner said that qualification is really important but it’s something that his side shouldn’t necessarily grasp for.

“Absolutely, it’s really important [to qualify],” Skinner said. “When you have a game that you know you’ve got to win, it becomes a cup game, it’s a knockout game. In the past few years, in the FA Cup, we’ve been pretty good in those situations.

“We know the magnitude of it but the reality is, it’s about staying in the zone and in the streamline rather than grasping for it. You can’t grasp for these games, you’ve got to move the opponent. If we can do that, we can create the chances and then we’re at the mercy of ourselves and the football gods. It’s really important not to underestimate that. We’ve got to play it like we’ve shown the maturity over the years and do our very best in that moment.”

Manchester United have produced two very different attacking outcomes in their last two fixtures. After being defeated 1-0 by SK Brann, The Red Devils hit five goals in a 5-1 win at London City Lionesses at the weekend. Skinner said that the inconsistency in-front of goal has nothing to do with systems or shapes.

He said “We are creating enough chances, so it can’t be the system, it has to be the opportunity and focus in the moment. We said to the players that the system delivers you to the end outcome and then you take the moment, that’s all that football is. People talk about systems and shapes but all they do is move players on the field to occupy space that the opponent leaves you.

“At some point, Brann will play a four or five at the back and we have to be prepared for both. What we do well is create the chances and all I want us to do is have a little bit more composure. Also, if I’m being really honest, it’s just about getting used to each other and building relationships.”

The Leigh Sports Village is one of the toughest stadiums in England for opposing teams to play and Skinner says that Manchester United must use that to their advantage.

He said “The reality is that we are playing a team that used their home advantage really well. They were excellent on the night and deserved their win. They also got a bit fortunate because we created chances to win the game.

“We are incredibly good at Leigh Sports Village, it’s our fortress, it’s our home and we need to make sure that Brann feel that.

“We are not underestimating their quality. It’ll be a tough tie but we know what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to win the game.”

Manchester United’s UEFA Women’s Champions League third qualifying round, second leg tie against SK Brann kicks-off at 7pm on Thursday evening.