Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner insists that he is happy with the progress of the team this season.
The Red Devils are playing catch up in the Barclays Women’s Super League after dropping nine points in their opening seven matches.
When speaking in a Manchester United press conference, Skinner said that he has seen progression from his side this season despite the dropped points.
“For sure (we’ve improved),” Skinner said. “We’ve only lost three games since the start of last season in the WSL. If you put it in that context, yes, we’ve probably had too many draws but it is a ridiculous statistic.
“From our aspect, we don’t want to be dropping points but barring the Manchester City game and parts of the Arsenal game where it was a deserved draw, we’ve actually out-performed our opponents.
“We are still trying to click, we are still trying to get the rhythm that we really want but I have seen massive strides forward. I’m pretty happy with the performances and where we are at, but we also know that we have to make those points up and that means that the head-to-heads probably become more important. To close the gap, you know that those are the points that you can maximise.
“To be clear, it is about looking at what Bristol can do this weekend, it’s not about looking at those other points. The next three points are the most important and we have to try our best to get them.”
Manchester United’s latest opponents Bristol City were promoted back to the Barclays Women’s Super League in May after a two-year absence. The Robins have struggled so far but Skinner knows that they can be dangerous on the attack and they will have nothing to fear.
He said “It’s difficult. I look at the experience of the squad that they have in the WSL and it is a tough one but they’ve taken to it really well.
“We are preparing like we do for any opponent. They’ve taken some really good results, especially in the game against West Ham. They have this youthful effervescence that they’re not going to give up, they’re going to work hard and make it difficult for you to beat them. Also, when they counter attack, they’re aggressive.
“There’s a buoyed bounce about them and we will have to be at our very best, there’s no doubt about that. It we turn up and we aren’t at our sharpest, the game will ebb away from us. I won’t allow that, I’ll make sure that our players are fully-focused on what they’ve got to do.
“I expect a tough game where we will have to break them down and stop their counter attacks. If we do that, we’ve got a good chance of winning it.”
Manchester United’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Bristol City kicks-off at 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon.
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