Frustrated Marc Skinner concedes Bayern Munich caught out Man Utd with big playing style change in Women's Champions League loss

Man Utd's European ambitions took a hit at Old Trafford as Skinner’s side struggled to contain an uncharacteristically direct Bayern. The German champions, typically known for their patient, possession-based build-up, opted to bypass the midfield and go more direct. This strategic pivot left the United backline exposed, particularly to the runs of Pernille Harder. Although the hosts showed resilience by scoring two goals, a lack of tactical flexibility in dealing with Bayern's long-ball threat ultimately saw them suffer a 3-2 defeat in the first leg.

Skinner cut a frustrated figure following the final whistle, admitting that the German giants deviated from their expected possession-based approach to a more direct style that troubled his backline. He said: "The two goals from Harder tonight are not good enough from our perspective, which we will fix as a team," Skinner told Disney+. The encouraging thing is that this tie is still alive. Bayern haven't played like that, it's super direct from them, they are normally possession based and they have changed style tonight and they have got their reward for it. I'm frustrated with the goals that we conceded because they are pretty poor, but it is something really easily fixed going into the next leg where we know the threats that they have got now."

Despite the negative result, Skinner admitted that he and his team could take many lessons from the defeat to bounce back in the second leg. He said: "The quality in possession was really good until the final decision. We should have built around them quicker. We should have used the sides quicker, that is where we had our joy. We weren't clean enough in that and we kept keeping the play more central.

"What I liked was that we broke the lines, we just need to be a bit more incisive with the pass. I said to the girls at half-time that they are here for a reason, so make sure we get our rewards in those moments with the finishes. I felt we could have created more goalscoring threat. Now we know what we are playing against and we go into the next leg with a fantastic opportunity to move forward."

The Red Devils will be looking to bounce back from this defeat when they face rivals Manchester City in a crucial Women's Super League match on Saturday. Skinner's side currently sit second in the table, eight points behind City at the top. They will then prepare for the UWCL quarter-final second leg against Bayern, which takes place on April 1.