“I thought the performance was very good. It was much more… like us.” Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner was not trying to be existential as he searched for the words to describe his team after their 2-1 Women’s Super League (WSL) win against West Ham United over the weekend. But who Manchester United Women are has been a fascinating question this season. United are third in the WSL and through to the Champions League knockout rounds with two games to spare. An impressive feat for a team
Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner was not trying to be existential as he searched for the words to describe his team after their 2-1 Women’s Super League (WSL) win against West Ham United over the weekend.
But who Manchester United Women are has been a fascinating question this season.
United are third in the WSL and through to the Champions League knockout rounds with two games to spare. An impressive feat for a team competing in Europe’s elite competition for the first time and about whom early-season prophecies warned that a relatively threadbare squad would struggle without burning out on at least one end.
The next 11 days will be the litmus test. United, fourth in the Champions League group stage league standings, face second-placed Lyon tonight, before hosting Tottenham Hotspur, fifth in the WSL, four days later on Sunday. They then travel to Juventus for their final Champions League group stage match on December 17 before hosting Spurs in the League Cup quarter-finals on December 21.
How United perform over the next two weeks will provide more clarity on who they are — and what they require in January.
“We have to be in touch at the top. Then we need to be aggressive in the window,” Skinner said on Sunday.
If there was a byword for United, aggressive would be Skinner’s choice. On the pitch, it is a key component of their identity, albeit one that has required some tempering this season.
After victory on Sunday, Skinner described his ideal vision of United as “invasive”, a Skinner-ism for getting in behind and being direct in the final third. He also said Sunday’s performance was a mix of the team’s new possession-based style. “We can do both, which I was really happy with,” he said.
When comparing United’s underlying numbers this season to last season, when they finished second in the WSL and reached the FA Cup final, losing to Chelsea, many of the metrics and rankings are broadly similar.
United average the same xG per shot (0.12, fourth in the WSL), while the number of direct attacks, shots and xG per shot conceded are all broadly consistent.
Importantly, like last season, United have the league’s fourth-best attack, according to their xG created per 90 (17.83), but are second in the table for goals scored (21), behind Manchester City (26). When comparing goals with xG, United rank second in the WSL for overperformance, behind Everton (0.39 to 0.29). The next nearest over-performers are Arsenal at 0.10.
While over-performance can be a sign of underlying issues, United’s finishing is no fluke, illustrated by their 10-game rolling xG chart and their conversion rate of 14.48 per cent, which is the highest in the league.
In other words, United have, historically and presently, been very good in front of goal.
It is why the preceding two WSL defeats, against Aston Villa (1-0) and Manchester City (3-0), during which United failed to find the back of the net, yielded some concern.
But the context for those games is important.
The defeats by Villa and City arrived in an 11-day block of four matches, not unlike the one United are about to embark on. In that block, United sustained three defeats (they also lost 5-2 to Wolfsburg in the Champions League) and one win (a 2-1 victory against Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League).
United were, critically, without their No 1 goalkeeper, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, for the final three matches due to the USWNT goalkeeper sustaining a fractured eye socket. Wales international Safia Middleton-Patel, 21, deputised, but United struggled defensively, conceding more goals in that time than they had in the 13 preceding matches this season.
“We lost our number one, which creates a vacuum in terms of performance,” Skinner said. “On another day, I think we beat Wolfsburg if we don’t concede those goals. Phallon is formidable in the sticks and it gives you that confidence. I felt Saf deputised fantastically well for an inexperienced goalkeeper. She’ll only learn and grow from that.”
Even so, United, who kept 13 clean sheets last season, have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six WSL matches — going beyond Tullis-Joyce’s injury. The rolling xG chart shows a steady uptick in chances conceded and a steady decline in chances created.
Against West Ham, United struggled to put away their 22 efforts at goal (eight of which were on target) due to a combination of West Ham’s dogged defending and their own wastefulness.
Part of the difficulty against West Ham was breaking through the London club’s low block and carving out clear chances despite maintaining 66.1 per cent of possession. This was not out of the ordinary.
Compared to last season, two distinct shifts in style stand out: United’s increased possession (58.2 per cent vs 49.5 per cent) and a lower pressing intensity, as demonstrated by their higher passes per defensive action (PPDA) — 10.9 vs 8.7.
The drop in PPDA and uptick in possession can be attributed to United’s attempt to balance domestic and European responsibilities with a limited squad. The decrease in long pass share from last season (12.6 per cent to 9.8 per cent) as well as attack speed (United rank 10th in the WSL this season compared to sixth last season) also points to a less direct, transition style, which demands more of players’ bodies.
“When the games come thick and fast, you have to just adapt,” said Skinner after the West Ham victory.
Against West Ham, United looked strongest when pressing high or pulling West Ham out of their defensive structure to hit them in transition. Working the ball around the perimeter looked more laboured.
Learning how to pry open more stubborn defences and create chances has been a learning curve.
The summer arrivals of midfielder Jess Park from Manchester City and forward Fridolina Rolfo on a free transfer have been important given their technical skill in tight areas, as well as midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme from Bayern Munich, who has partnered superbly with Hinata Miyazawa in midfield, with both playing a greater role in build-up.
When asked about the team’s ability to play a more possession-based style, Skinner pointed to United’s first goal against West Ham, indicating how Ziggioti faced forward, turned her defender to make space, and got in behind to cross for Elisabeth Terland.
“We’ve got better at doing that because of the technical players we have,” he said. “We still need the threat to go beyond, so we need to recruit in this window to add that to what the team are already doing.”
United’s lack of depth has been the overriding sticking point since the season’s start.
They made only three signings in the summer (Park, Rolfo and Zigiotti). All three have been critical. But the lack of reinforcements from the bench has been an issue as the season — and the physical toll on players — has progressed, as the defeats to Villa, City and Wolfsburg demonstrated.
According to Opta, United have used 21 players in the WSL this season, but only 15 have played more than 100 minutes across 10 matches.
Eight have featured in all (Maya Le Tissier, Ella Toone, Park, Melvine Malard, Terland, Dominique Janssen, Ziggioti and Miyazawa), while four (Tullis-Joyce, Jayde Riviere, Rolfo and Anna Sandberg) have missed only one match.
United’s limited squad has been compounded by injuries and absences, including winger Celin Bizet, who has not featured in the WSL since October 3. The Norway international announced her pregnancy last week.
Despite academy players Mared Griffiths and Jessica Anderson featuring on the bench throughout the season, neither has made an appearance, with Skinner maintaining that Wales international Griffith will go out on loan in January to get up to speed with first-team football.
“We have other talented players coming through, but at times you throw them on and hope they do something,” Skinner said. “I need more than that. We need to be more calculated.”
Employing stylistic change can be challenging without practice time on the pitch, something that has been at a premium this season. According to Skinner, United had just “one hour to coach the players” in the lead-up to the Manchester derby after defeating PSG midweek due to player loading concerns.
Training sessions that would usually be conducted on the grass have instead used more video analysis to help players maintain fitness levels.
It was telling that Skinner chose to start both Terland and forward Malard against West Ham, a combination he hadn’t used since United’s 3-2 victory over Brighton on November 2.
“We’re going to have to experiment sometime,” Skinner said. “But I ask some players, they have to take responsibility to gel with each other quickly, even if they’ve not played together as long. So that’s the challenge.
“I still think we can hit with energy, but we have to just be a little bit more calculated in certain moments of the games.”
After the victory over West Ham, Skinner once again implored the club to match his players’ aggression on the pitch with recruitment off it, adding he hopes to bring in at least four players in January.
“We’ve made history for Manchester United, so we’re showing that progression,” he said. “Now we need to be aggressive in the window and bring in new players that help support the growth of the team and what we’re trying to achieve. That doesn’t take away from what we’re doing now. I must be clear on that. But we need to stay aggressive.”
How United attack this 11-day block and the transfer window will be critical to their season.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Manchester United, Women's Soccer
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