Man Utd are spiralling - and Red Devils only have themselves to blame for predictable WSL struggles

United and Skinner deserve a lot of credit for having the start to the season they did, especially because that thin squad was extremely depleted in the early weeks. Injuries to no fewer than 10 senior players before the month of October left Skinner with little choice when it came to his starting line-up, with only two senior outfielders on the Red Devils' bench for the Champions League qualifier against Hammarby back in late August.

Despite those challenges, United were able to qualify for the European league phase, win all of their first three games in the Champions League proper and go unbeaten through their first seven matches of the WSL season, winning five. However, the tall order facing this squad is now becoming apparent.

It was difficult not to think that after United were battered 3-0 in the Manchester derby. These two sides have used the same number of players through the first nine weeks of the WSL, but one looked much more at it and much fresher than the other, despite City themselves having injury concerns to deal with in the early portion of the season. Indeed, captain and defensive leader Alex Greenwood was missing at the Etihad Stadium, and City's bench was arguably weaker than United's, featuring two inexperienced academy products. However, the one advantage of not being in the Champions League was on show for the blue side of Manchester, who look to have a real opportunity in the WSL this season because of that.

Dealing with that schedule is not an issue only affecting United, either. Arsenal are another good example of a squad ill-equipped to deal with the demands of two top-level games a week, that being at least one factor in the Gunners' own underwhelming start to the new campaign. The reigning European champions have only used 19 players in the Champions League this term, compared to numbers like Chelsea's 25 and Lyon's 24. United are one of just six teams to use fewer than Arsenal, with only Leuven, Twente and Valerenga utilising fewer than the Red Devils.

That can work, to an extent, when you are a superpower like Barcelona, who have actually used the same number of players as United. However, their starting line-up is still arguably the best in the women's game, making them a unique case. For most, it is far too difficult to compete at the very top in domestic and European competition with a small squad, especially when playing in a league as competitive as the WSL.

It's not just about rotation, freshness and dealing with injuries, either. "You can't coach much," Skinner said earlier this season, explaining the constraints such a situation causes. It means there's less time to work on specifics and tweak things effectively, because players are not spending as much time in full training sessions due to the recovery needed between games.

Of course, when a team is playing well and winning, that's not really an issue. Not much needs changing. But when a team gets stuck in a bit of a rough patch, like the one United have found themselves in over the last few weeks - and Arsenal have in this campaign, too - it's not easy to suddenly get out of that without the time to pay real attention to detail.

Having such a light squad also means it hurts more when big injuries occur, and United have been hit with a couple of huge ones. Millie Turner, who has formed such a formidable partnership with Maya Le Tissier in central defence, has been missing since mid-September, forcing a reshuffle at the back. Dominique Janssen has generally done well filling in for the England international, but between the break-up of that reliable duo, the withdrawal of Janssen from her usual midfield role and the decreased depth Turner's absence has caused, it's not an ideal situation.

More significant has been the injury to Phallon Tullis-Joyce, United's No.1 goalkeeper and one of the best in her position in the world. Skinner has turned to Safia Middleton-Patel, the 21-year-old Wales international, to fill her gloves, and while the youngster has looked good at times, it's unrealistic to expect her, with her inexperience, to deliver at the level of Tullis-Joyce at this point.

United have conceded nine goals in the three games without the American, having only conceded seven times in their first 14 games of the season, prior to her injury. That doesn't feel like a coincidence, particularly with her absence only adding to the upheaval in the spine of the team that had already happened as a result of Turner's injury and Janssen's positional switch.

When United could only name five players to their bench for a trip to Liverpool in late September, Carla Ward, the former Aston Villa boss and current Ireland manager, said on punditry for Sky Sports that the club had "let the women's team down this year" with a lack of transfer business.

"There's an opportunity to bring more bodies in," she said. "They're in the Champions League, they're playing across all competitions. That's such a small bench. It's a thin bench."

United only signed three first-team players in the summer, while also letting two go. Skinner was asked repeatedly about signings before the deadline and his response was that he wanted more in before the window shut. The Red Devils would be active at the 11th hour, bringing in the very impressive Jess Park, albeit while sending Grace Clinton the other way in a shock transfer between the two Manchester clubs that didn't strengthen United's squad in terms of numbers.

When asked about the lack of depth since the close of the window, Skinner has reiterated the need to act in January. "I think we need a bigger squad. I have no doubt about that," he said earlier this season. "But I can't do anything about it right now so my focus is making sure I've picked the right team at the right time, [with] the right changes. But I'm going to stress, I think in the winter window, we need to add to the squad."

The good news is that, with the January window just around the corner, United are still in a good position despite these challenges. That's something Skinner and his players deserve immense credit for. Yes, they have lost some ground in the WSL because of those defeats to Villa and Man City, but they are still in a Champions League spot, which is important.

In the Champions League, meanwhile, they are still in the automatic qualification places, on goal difference. It's not going to be easy to hold onto that position, with games against Lyon and Juventus representing a tough end to their league phase schedule, but they have given themselves a great shot at going through at least via the play-offs, if not the top four.

As was the case in the summer, the club has a real opportunity in January to give this team the boost it needs to get to that next level. What United have done to this point, with this squad, is fantastic, but the fragility of the situation has been highlighted for all to see in recent weeks.

The Red Devils need reinforcements in January. It's something Skinner has made clear and something all on the outside can quite obviously see. Now, it's up to the club to deliver the support this team needs to go from being a very good team capable of challenging, to a great team capable of doing something special.