Ahead of their first ever European night at Old Trafford, Manchester United manager Marc Skinner previewed his side’s game against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday night (12 November). He was joined by summer signing Fridolina Rolfö. Here’s all the main talking points:
Team news:
Marc Skinner confirmed that Manchester United head into this game without Celin Bizet Dønnum (back injury), Dominique Janssen (suspension), and Millie Turner (knee).
With both PSG in the Champions League and then the Manchester Derby on the weekend, it feels like a really pivotal week in your season. How big is this game?
Marc Skinner: “It’s a huge week. We know that, but it’s a historic moment that we’ve been working towards. These are the moments we want to be around. You know, people like Frido that are sat with me have come to this project because of games like this, so we’re looking forward to the challenge of it. But I think for us as well, the good thing is that as much as you look at it as challenging games, they’re great games to be part of.
“The first Champions League game at Old Trafford for the women’s team is a historic moment. We have to embrace it and enjoy it. The pressure is what you make of it so the good thing is, playing three quality teams like this in a row also prepares you as well, because you have to be your very best, and I know the team will be. We have to bring on the challenge of it and really look forward to it.”
This is not just a huge game for the club, but it’s a huge game in terms of attention because of the return of Mary Earps. What are your thoughts on the whole situation surrounding the controversy of her book and comments?
Marc Skinner: “The reality is, when Mary was here, she was a fantastic ambassador for the club. She’s a fantastic player and you have to pay credit to the quality she had and what she gave to us at that moment. She was part of the FA Cup winning team that won the first trophy in the new era.
“Me and Mary have always had a good relationship, so I’ll say nothing but good things. But the thing is we move forwards, and Phallon [Tullis-Joyce] is an incredible goalkeeper, so we were lucky enough to have her to replace another fantastic goalkeeper. I’ve not read the book, I don’t know anything about it. I’m hearing snippets, of course, I am. I always think you have to be careful what you say. But you know, Mary believes in it, so that’s her truth. She has to speak it.
“From our perspective, we’ll welcome her as somebody that is on the opponent’s team in this game, but also always pay tribute to what she’s done while she’s at Manchester United. I know Mary’s a good person, so I look forward to the challenge of trying to beat her and her team on Wednesday night.”
And on the reception Earps may receive from the home fans…
Marc Skinner: “I can’t control that. I think our fans will have their own their own voice and own opinion on what’s said but the reality is I hope they create a cauldron for PSG anyway because they’re a fantastic team. We’re going to need the support of our fans…if they create noise, it’s to give us the advantage.”
Mary wrote in her book that her priority was to stay at Manchester United for the rest of her career. How does that make you feel, when a player loved the club but ended up leaving?
Marc Skinner: “Unfortunately, that happens in various clubs on various occasions. I wasn’t part of those conversations around contractual stuff. But from my perspective, we move forward as a club. We always evolve, we always adapt, and we’ve got Phallon now. I think Phallon was an incredible achievement for us to identify and bring her in as well. So it’s sad and obviously Mary can be sad for Mary, but the reality is, football moves too quick, and we are now with Phallon, and have a fantastic goalkeeping union that we are very happy with.”
Mary has been one of the giant figures of English sport in the last few years. In your eyes, does any of this controversy damage her legacy and reputation of what she did at Manchester United in particular?
Marc Skinner: “I hope not, I honestly do because I know deep down Mary’s a good person.
“I’m sure part of bringing a book out is to try and bring the most controversial parts out to sell the book, right? Mary has to go and defend that in public. The human in me, knowing the human that she is, I’m sure she’ll be getting criticism that she won’t like but It’s part and parcel of trying to release a book I’d imagine.
“She’s a great human. I know she is, and she doesn’t need me to say that either, really. But I hope that people toe the line with the criticism, and I think Mary understands what situation she put herself in.”
The energy in training this morning seemed really high, can you tell us what the energy is like in the squad? Is it mainly excitement, nerves, or a bit of both?
Fridolina Rolfö: “I think it’s a positive feeling. We were, of course, not happy with the loss [against Aston Villa] the other day, so we feel like a little bit of revenge. We all have energy, and we are happy with playing a game so soon, so it feels like the group are super excited. Of course we’re looking forward to play at Old Trafford too. It’s a huge game, and we can’t wait to play.”
Marc Skinner: “I’d add that we just had an honest conversation with the group. Our energy was low. But, and I’ll stress this, we just buried a friend the day before. It was our kit man, John Humble’s, funeral the day before the game. There was bound to be an energy hangover from that game, and it was a tough one for us, we didn’t manage to come through. But what I love about this team is that we can just be honest with each other, and we took that into account.
“The energy is high today because lose or win, we stay focused. We’ve assessed what we need to do against a very good opponent, and we’ve got to put that into plan now.”
Fridolina, in 2014, your Champions League debut, you scored a hattrick and then your first goal for Manchester United came in the Champions League as well – is it fair to assume this might be your favourite competition to play in?
Fridolina Rolfö: “(Laughs) Yeah, I love playing in Champions League. It’s something unique, and it’s something you want to be a part of. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I joined this club, because I do want to play those big games. I’m with such a great club, and I want to continue helping this team to reach even longer in this tournament, so we can continue to perform really well and go far. It’s an honour to play in it, and I hope I can bring my qualities to the team.”
How keen are you to replicate the memories you made with Barcelona, here at Manchester United?
Fridolina Rolfö: “It would be a dream. I hope we can give it our all. We know how many good teams are out there, so it’s not going to be easy, definitely not, but you also can see how tight it is. I think we can match every team. We can be on a top level if we perform at our best so there’s definitely a chance we can win it. We will work as hard as possible to get there, but I also know how hard it is, and it gets harder every year because the teams get better. So yeah, hopefully we will get there but there’s no denying it will be hard.”
And finally, tomorrow night you’ll come up against one of the best teams in the competition. Talking tactics, how do you approach a team of this magnitude?
Marc Skinner: “In all honesty, [after the Villa game] we’ve had about two days, so we have to prepare to our strengths and how we can exploit their strengths. PSG are very physically dominant, and they can counter very quick. They set traps and counterattack on you, but they can also dominate the ball at times. You have to control space against them and know when to attack and when to transition, because if you open up a double transition where you give it away, they’re very clinical going forward.
“The main thing is trying to control as much space as possible, and then really, what I’m stressing to the team is ‘play with that Old Trafford kind of energy’. Think about the famous nights for the men’s team in Champions League, and we need to replicate that going into the game. We need that energy of an Old Trafford theatre of dreams.”
Featured image courtesy of MUWFC.