Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that his side must go into Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Chelsea with belief.
The Red Devils go into the second half of the season seven points adrift of the league summit. Anything other than a victory at Stamford Bridge this weekend would surely put an end to the club’s faint title hopes.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United boss Skinner said that both teams can win the game but the side with the greater belief could come out on top.
“The difference is belief,” Skinner said. “When we’ve played in those big moments [in the past], it’s about not taking a moment to think, it’s about action, all action. It’s in every breath that you take, in every movement and it’s in your body language.
“From my perspective, I have to prepare my players to go into this game with the right mindset, the right body language and the right commitment. It’s not that they ever miss that, sometimes, you just need reminding of that.
“We are a new team compared to last year. We are just learning together again and sometimes, you have to take a step back before you take one forwards.
“It’s the little percents that make a difference and I’ll keep reminding the players about that. This game is about mindset; we have the quality to win it and so do Chelsea but it’s about the mindset on the day.”
Manchester United are not only facing a tough challenge to reignite their title push, they’re also four points adrift of the European qualification places. Skinner says that he is not feeling any additional pressure from The Red Devils’ current ranking.
He said “There’s pressure every day at Manchester United. From my perspective, it’s about making sure that my team are prepared.
“When we look at squad depth, we have to continue to invest to compete in many competitions like Chelsea have done. We’re doing a very good job of that right now.
“We need to be at our very best, we are playing the champions but pressure is part of this job; if you don’t like pressure, don’t come to Manchester United because it’s part and parcel of the job. It’s about feeling that pressure but putting it in a way where the players can go and thrive and be at their very best.
“We are seven points off now but I think it’ll be different after Sunday. Let’s see what happens.”
Manchester United’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Chelsea kicks-off at 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon.
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