‘Don’t ask for permission to win’ – Skinner calls for strong Manchester United performance in derby | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that the message for side is to give everything to win this afternoon’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Manchester City.

The Red Devils travel to The Joie Stadium to take on The Cityzens. Manchester United are aiming to continue their defence of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup following last season’s maiden success at Wembley.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United boss Skinner said that his side’s mindset is to give everything to try and win the game and that he wants to see no hesitancy.

“The mindset going into this game and this last block is don’t ask for permission,” Skinner said. “What I mean in terms of performance is don’t ask for permission to win this game, go and give everything to try and win it.

“You know how much I respect the opponent, Nick [Cushing] and they’ll absolutely give everything but both teams would anyway because it’s a derby and it’s a unique semi-final because of that.

“For us, it’s about controlling performance. Rather than worrying about any connotations of the game, we’ve just got to perform. If we perform, we know we can beat anybody. We want to get back to Wembley and that’s our sole aim in this game.”

Skinner comes up against Nick Cushing for the first time in his tenure as Manchester City’s interim boss. He has seen slight changes in The Cityzens’ performances in the weeks since Cushing’s return to the club.

He said “There are definitely signs of Nick’s influence on the team. Each manager of a Manchester City team adapts and evolves it slightly but there’s still a playing style and a structure in the way that they play.

“Since being away in America, Nick will have had different experiences of that; different ways of adapting in games. He was always a really good tactician when we played against him when I was at Birmingham.

“For us, it’s about understanding his traits but also knowing that Manchester City will do what Manchester City do regardless. We’ve got to be prepared for all of those eventualities.

“The reality is that it will come down to the quality moments in each box, that’s attacking or defending. We trust ourselves in both of those. It’s going to be a tough game but one where we have got to give everything and hopefully, we can make it back to the final at Wembley for our fans.”

Manchester United have the opportunity to confirm another Wembley appearance along with European football in the coming weeks but Skinner just wants his side to enjoy the ride.

He said “It’s really clear that it’s a pivotal part of the season and nobody will hide away from that fact. I’ll reiterate what I said at the start; I dont want my team to ask for permission to win these games, I want them to go and win, express themselves with and without the ball and go and challenge teams rather than be passive in any of the games.

“I want the players to go and enjoy it. When your moment comes, whether that be for 10 minutes or all of the 90s, go and express who you are because if we want to get closer to that goal, we all have to do that. Don’t fear it, enjoy it and embrace it and that’s what we are going to do going into these games.”

Manchester United’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final at Manchester City kicks-off at 3pm this afternoon.