Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that Liverpool will provide his side with a good test after their derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils went down 3-1 to Manchester City as they failed to impress on derby day in front of a record crowd for a women’s team fixture at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’.
Manchester United’s next opponents are Liverpool in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup at Prenton Park this evening. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, head coach Skinner said that Liverpool will provide his side with a stern test but his players are ready to bounce back.
“Everyone goes to the bottom of the scale after a defeat and think it’s the worst thing and we were really unhappy with our performance (against Manchester City),” Skinner said.
“A game like this can get you right back up but the reality is, I’m very balanced – we weren’t good enough, we got what we deserved and now we have to put that right. The reality is, that’s what we do; if we’ve had a bad performance, we get back on the horse, saddle up and go again.
“If I wasn’t as balanced with my reaction, the performance wouldn’t be as consistent as it is. When you lose, you take your medicine and get on with it and you put it right, that’s leadership and that’s what our players have done.
“Liverpool will be a great test for us but the players are of the right mindset; nobody is thinking about anything other than performing.”
Liverpool go into tonight’s clash having lost both of their matches in this season’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup, however, Skinner still expects The Reds to come out fighting.
He said “I don’t think they’ll do anything different to what they normally do. They’ve had two narrow losses and knowing Beardy (Matt Beard), he doesn’t turn up to lose a game.
“Liverpool will come into it wanting to win. They’re at home and they will want to beat any team that they play against.
“I think they’ll be really up for it. There will be players playing that will want to get into the team on a regular basis, so I’d imagine that they’ll be really fired up. We will have to be at our very best.”
Manchester United’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup fixture at Liverpool kicks-off at 7pm.
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