Marc Skinner spoke with emotion when his Manchester United side crashed out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round two years ago.
United had finished second in the Women’s Super League and secured European football for the first time in their history. But Uefa’s qualifying system guaranteed United, who were unseeded in their pathway, a difficult tie.
Only the champions of Spain, Germany and France, the highest-ranked nations in Uefa’s coefficient at that time, qualified automatically.
The fourth spot was reserved for the winners of the Champions League but that place was awarded to Chelsea because reigning champions Barcelona had already qualified through winning Spain’s top flight.
Clubs who won their domestic leagues who did not qualify automatically were placed in the “champions path”, while those who finished in lower positions were placed in the “league path”. This meant there were some incredibly one-sided ties, with Czech champions Slavia Praha beating Romanian champions Olimpia Cluj 11-0 on aggregate.
United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain and were beaten 4-2 on aggregate. Skinner, visibly hurting from his side’s European journey being cut short, hit out at Uefa’s system.
“We deserve to be at this level, I’ve no doubt about that,” Skinner said.
“There are teams going through to this competition [group stage] that are not good enough. Our standard is better than that standard, and it’s crazy that we have to play PSG at this qualifying round, crazy. But we’ll learn from it, we’ll come back stronger.
“I hope something is changed because we want the best teams in the Champions League, not just a spread of some average teams.”
It was pointed out that United had less history in the women’s game than many of the teams Skinner had labelled “average”, but there was also some strength to his argument. Still, United failed to back up Skinner’s assertion that his team belonged at that level with a disappointing fifth-place finish in the WSL last season.
But now, two years on, they have a second chance. United ensured their place in Champions League qualifying at the expense of rivals Manchester City with a 2-2 draw in the derby at Old Trafford. A defeat would have taken it to the final day of the season and Skinner’s side did find themselves 2-0 down after 42 minutes. But goals from Grace Clinton and Melvine Malard completed a comeback and United managed to see out the final 20 minutes with 10 players after Aoife Mannion was sent off for two bookable offences.
United could still finish in second place if Arsenal fail to beat Brighton on Monday. United and Arsenal play each other on the final day of the season and could end up in a shoot-out for a better qualifying position. The team that finishes third will enter at the second qualifying phase and face two one-legged matches. If they progress from that, they then face a two-legged qualifier, which is where the team that finishes second will enter. Arsenal, however, could still qualify automatically if they beat Barcelona in the final later this month.
So, United are only halfway there. From next season the women’s Champions League will mirror the men’s competition and switch from the group-stage format to the “league phase”, with teams playing six matches, three at home and three away, against different opponents.
United may have to play four games to secure their place in the league phase. To do so, they are going to need a bigger squad. The second qualifying phase begins on August 27, before the start of the WSL season. Given United will have several players competing in the European Championship, which ends on July 27, that does not leave much preparation time.
If they progress to the third qualifying round, the hardest tie they could get would likely be Real Madrid, who were narrowly beaten by Arsenal in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
United have to invest in their squad if they want to enjoy a proper European tour and then be competitive when they get there. Skinner has had his fair share of criticism from supporters but has delivered what was asked of him by the club this season. He deserves to be backed in the summer transfer window and it is up to the club to give him the funds required.
“We have to recruit for the Champions League,” Skinner admitted. “We have to do that as a club.
“We have to recruit well this summer. We have to set our target to qualify for the Champions League now which is going to require recruitment to the highest level.”
Skinner’s comments are in contrast to remarks he made after beating City in the FA Cup semi-final last month. That day the United boss said they were not going to “throw lumps of cash at it” and that they have to grow the club in a “sustainable way”.
Yesterday’s take is far more realistic. It is going to take continued investment to be competitive in the Champions League and, after doing his part of the job, Skinner was speaking from a position of strength.
He will have to hope United’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was listening. United should celebrate and enjoy their achievements, but the biggest challenge is still to come.
Marc Skinner spoke with emotion when his Manchester United side crashed out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round two years ago.
United had finished second in the Women’s Super League and secured European football for the first time in their history. But Uefa’s qualifying system guaranteed United, who were unseeded in their pathway, a difficult tie.
Only the champions of Spain, Germany and France, the highest-ranked nations in Uefa’s coefficient at that time, qualified automatically.
The fourth spot was reserved for the winners of the Champions League but that place was awarded to Chelsea because reigning champions Barcelona had already qualified through winning Spain’s top flight.
Clubs who won their domestic leagues who did not qualify automatically were placed in the “champions path”, while those who finished in lower positions were placed in the “league path”. This meant there were some incredibly one-sided ties, with Czech champions Slavia Praha beating Romanian champions Olimpia Cluj 11-0 on aggregate.
United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain and were beaten 4-2 on aggregate. Skinner, visibly hurting from his side’s European journey being cut short, hit out at Uefa’s system.
“We deserve to be at this level, I’ve no doubt about that,” Skinner said.
“There are teams going through to this competition [group stage] that are not good enough. Our standard is better than that standard, and it’s crazy that we have to play PSG at this qualifying round, crazy. But we’ll learn from it, we’ll come back stronger.
“I hope something is changed because we want the best teams in the Champions League, not just a spread of some average teams.”
It was pointed out that United had less history in the women’s game than many of the teams Skinner had labelled “average”, but there was also some strength to his argument. Still, United failed to back up Skinner’s assertion that his team belonged at that level with a disappointing fifth-place finish in the WSL last season.
But now, two years on, they have a second chance. United ensured their place in Champions League qualifying at the expense of rivals Manchester City with a 2-2 draw in the derby at Old Trafford. A defeat would have taken it to the final day of the season and Skinner’s side did find themselves 2-0 down after 42 minutes. But goals from Grace Clinton and Melvine Malard completed a comeback and United managed to see out the final 20 minutes with 10 players after Aoife Mannion was sent off for two bookable offences.
United could still finish in second place if Arsenal fail to beat Brighton on Monday. United and Arsenal play each other on the final day of the season and could end up in a shoot-out for a better qualifying position. The team that finishes third will enter at the second qualifying phase and face two one-legged matches. If they progress from that, they then face a two-legged qualifier, which is where the team that finishes second will enter. Arsenal, however, could still qualify automatically if they beat Barcelona in the final later this month.
So, United are only halfway there. From next season the women’s Champions League will mirror the men’s competition and switch from the group-stage format to the “league phase”, with teams playing six matches, three at home and three away, against different opponents.
United may have to play four games to secure their place in the league phase. To do so, they are going to need a bigger squad. The second qualifying phase begins on August 27, before the start of the WSL season. Given United will have several players competing in the European Championship, which ends on July 27, that does not leave much preparation time.
If they progress to the third qualifying round, the hardest tie they could get would likely be Real Madrid, who were narrowly beaten by Arsenal in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
United have to invest in their squad if they want to enjoy a proper European tour and then be competitive when they get there. Skinner has had his fair share of criticism from supporters but has delivered what was asked of him by the club this season. He deserves to be backed in the summer transfer window and it is up to the club to give him the funds required.
“We have to recruit for the Champions League,” Skinner admitted. “We have to do that as a club.
“We have to recruit well this summer. We have to set our target to qualify for the Champions League now which is going to require recruitment to the highest level.”
Skinner’s comments are in contrast to remarks he made after beating City in the FA Cup semi-final last month. That day the United boss said they were not going to “throw lumps of cash at it” and that they have to grow the club in a “sustainable way”.
Yesterday’s take is far more realistic. It is going to take continued investment to be competitive in the Champions League and, after doing his part of the job, Skinner was speaking from a position of strength.
He will have to hope United’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was listening. United should celebrate and enjoy their achievements, but the biggest challenge is still to come.
