Manchester United boss Marc Skinner believes his team are ahead of where they should be at this stage of the season, but insists they must keep improving.
The Red Devils are currently fourth in the WSL standings after five games, behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Brighton. However, they do have a game in hand against Chelsea after their initial meeting was postponed due to the London club’s involvement in the Champions League.
United underwent a busy transfer window over the summer with six significant outgoings and six incomings – seven if Grace Clinton’s return from her loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur is factored in. Among the new additions was Dominique Janssen, Elisabeth Terland and Celin Bizet, all of which have started the majority of their league matches so far.
Given the high turnover of players, Skinner admits this new-look squad are still getting used to each other, which means their strong start to the season arguably places them ahead of where they should be at this stage. However, the United boss knows there is more to come and he is confident they can keep improving.
“We want to keep improving, but the reality of putting a new team together, six games in, I actually think we’re above where our marker should be,” he told a press conference ahead of their WSL meeting with Aston Villa. “We’re still unbeaten. It’s a good space, but we want to be better.”
Despite the fact we are just six games into the new campaign, the league table is already starting to take shape. The likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton are still battling for their first victory, while United are among the contenders at the top of the standings.
Skinner, though, believes the WSL is more unpredictable this term due to the growing number of teams able to produce consistent results. When asked whether the table at this stage is a strong indicator of how the rest of the season will go, the United boss replied: “I would tend to agree in previous seasons, but I’m not sure this year because I’m watching better performances from teams.
“I [previously] watched teams that could put in an outstanding performance on one day, which was the difference between winning and losing. They didn’t have had the consistency, but they had the players to win that one off game.
“I think it’s different this year. It may well go around that [the current table] but we want to be challenging higher. I looked at our midfield experience against Arsenal’s the other day, and you’ve got Kim [Little] and Leah [Williamson] and Frida [Maanum], who have played how many games together.
“We just haven’t had that time [together] yet. I do think the table will change, and that’s just the feeling I’m getting. Maybe have the conversation 15 games in and see where we’re at.
“This year I just think there are teams that can take points more frequently off teams that have been top four before.”
