This season has borne spectacular fruit for Marc Skinner’s Manchester United.
“We want to make it inevitable rather than it be a ‘nice to have’,” the former Birmingham City boss said when questioned about the prospect of United winning their first Women’s Super League title.
Most managers have aspirations, it comes with the territory. Skinner’s is backed up by genuine credentials.
It is 8am on a regular weekday, nearing the end of a long and often tiresome domestic campaign, with various press commitments in the offing, but Skinner is refreshingly chipper – as if undeterred by the usual rigours of seasonal wear and tear. He has every right to be buoyant.
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Jess Creighton reflects on the ever-so-tight WSL title race between the top four clubs as just three points separates them
Sitting down for an exclusive chat with Sky Sports, the 40-year-old relaxes into conversation instantaneously. The preamble centres on the previous evening’s football, which happened to involve Arsenal’s European foray, beating Bayern Munich to reach the competition’s semis for the first time in a decade.
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It is a position Skinner dreams to be in. “When we meet our aspirations and we’re playing Champions League then I believe this club opens up the world to a lot of world-class players,” he said, while in full conversation flow later in the interview, interestingly at the point where talk turns to out-of-contract striker Alessia Russo.
Skinner is quick to point out that Europe remains an ambition, not a right. While United sit aloft, level on points at the top of the table with geographical neighbours Manchester City, Skinner recognises there are significant challenges to overcome, multiple hurdles to clear, and several competitors all vying to do the same.
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Man Utd’s methods, however, are unique. They have had to be in order to play catch up with rivals who have held a seat at the elite table for far longer.
This is not a hare and tortoise story. This is full-throttle ‘Speedy Gonzales’. It has not quite happened overnight – “we’re not at the end goal right now,” Skinner emphasises, but the finish line is in sight and United are closing in on one of the division’s top spots with six games left to negotiate.
Just five years into the club’s existence – Manchester United Women were only established in 2018 – that feat would resemble something close to remarkable, seldom seen at grassroots level, let alone in professional leagues.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Manchester United and West Ham
“The way I chose to manage is by giving us an aspirational target,” he continued. “That puts pressure on us but I don’t set up teams to just exist – we’re here to win. We’re centred and we’re focused, and if we navigate our final six challenges well, we’ll deserve to be where we end up.
“When we come into our environment it’s controlled. We don’t live in a world where distractions don’t exist, of course they do, but the reality is when you’re in this position you have to have an iron will. If we don’t do that and we’re focused on the season’s sub-plots it won’t matter anyway, we have to do the business in our own games.”
Skinner is all too familiar with the pressure the Manchester United badge – one of the most recognisable emblems in world football – commands. “There a lot of people in the footballing world who are waiting to see what Manchester United do,” he says.
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Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner explained the home truths he told to his team at half-time of their WSL win over West Ham
Indeed the spotlight shines brighter on certain clubs than others – that is football’s ruling order. In Manchester it happens to be microscopic. Expectations at Old Trafford are exponentially high. So can this young, gifted set of players, full of talented Lionesses and a wonderfully bright supporting cast, hold their nerve or will they buckle under the pressure?
“The amount of people in high up positions who are expressing excitement to me is brilliant,” Skinner continued. “I think you’re going to watch a really exciting end to the season. There are too many banana skin or precarious fixtures now. It’s so unpredictable.
“We’re preparing to be in the mix, we’re trying to push our boundaries and be successful, that means winning things. We’re happy, but it would be naive for me to say anything other than we’re focused on these six games until the end.
“We’ve got girls who have won the Euros, which is brilliant, because in their own mind they’re in the realm of winners. It takes time, but we’re showing improvement with every performance and our identity shines through.”
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Ella Toone revealed Skinner’s half-time rollicking played a big part in Manchester United’s 4-0 win over West Ham that took them to the top of the table
Rather than drowning out the noise, Skinner wants his side to be the ones creating a stir. He wants United to disrupt and innovate by finding ways of getting the better of opponents who have traditionally had it mostly their own way. United are still the new kids on the block, metaphorically speaking, but that does not mean they cannot make a lasting impression on the landscape – as Skinner explains.
“A lot of things in life you don’t like make you tougher, we learnt that last season. This year we’ve got more experience, more depth and belief. We’re more consistent in terms of focusing on each individual moment.
“I look at how many different goalscorers we’ve had this season. There isn’t an over-reliance on one person or one method of scoring. When you stop us one way we now have the adaptability to hurt teams another way. You’ve always got to be prepared for us.”
Image: Man Utd have scored a league-high 42 goals this season Kings of the road
Manchester United have won six of their eight away games in the WSL (D1 L1), though they were defeated at Chelsea last time out. They have not lost consecutive away games since a run of three in April 2021, which included a loss at Brighton.
Skinner has made the fewest changes to his starting selections (11) and used the joint-fewest players (22) of any WSL side this term, while maintaining the joint-highest number of different goalscorers in the competition. That is not easy to pull off.
What’s more, they have scored 42 league goals with an expected goals total of 25.7, netting around 16 more times than their xG suggests. Skinner is familiar with both stats: “People like the way we play; we’re energetic, we’re aggressive, we want the ball. We’re exciting, that for me is what it’s about – we’re a young team that is nowhere near its prime.”
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Such a declaration must be frightening to competitors. If this plucky United side, packed with England stars, are yet to reach their heyday but can still challenge for top honours, what happens when their potential reaches its peak? Well, that relies on keeping the band together, with prying eyes rumoured to have a vested interest in a sudden split.
Skinner finished by discussing his will – which is ironclad, remember – to tie certain players down to new deals, with much sought-after striker Russo and goalkeeper supremo Mary Earps due to be out of contract in the summer (the latter has a 12-month extension option).
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A look at Alessia Russo’s best goals in the Women’s Super League
“We’ve got a meeting today regarding catch-ups around contracts. The outcome of the season will have a part to play. We’re working hard behind the scenes, but I’ve tried to stay away from that because I’m trying to get the team ready to perform. The world is changing but we’re trying hard.
“Not one of those players has ever said ‘this is what needs to happen’ [to sign a new deal]. But I remind those players every day that if we want to be successful we need them to perform. I’m hopeful we can come to some conclusions pretty soon but I’m trying to keep players on their toes so we can achieve what we want to achieve.”
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