Skinner: We know what we need to do in Munich

The German side emerged victorious at Old Trafford, taking the lead for a decisive third time through Momoko Tanikawa a few minutes before the end. Before that, a Maya Le Tissier penalty and a Hanna Lundkvist header has cancelled out two Bayern goals from Pernille Harder.

The visitors were a danger on the counter and both parts of the Harder brace showcased an ability to move the ball quickly from midfield into the final third.

“Bayern changed their game tonight,” Skinner reflected in his post-match press conference. “They’re usually a possession-based team, [but they were] more direct. We’ve felt that now and we must turn it around. We’re still in the tie for sure, so we know we need to go to the Allianz [Arena] and win.”

With Bayern taking the lead so early – inside the first two minutes – the boss gave “credit to the players” that they were able to fight back and not let that setback affect the mentality.

“We are still in the tie,” he stated. “Really, I think it’s given us a taste of what we must do to go into the second leg and try and attack Bayern. We know they’re a fantastic team, but I think there’s frustration from the players tonight, you [will] see that in the performance next week.”

HINI ‘FULLY ON BOARD’ WITH IMMEDIATE RETURN

Just four days after helping Japan lift the Asian Cup in Australia, Hinata Miyazawa was named in the starting XI, such is her importance. The boss remarked that, after a “good, open conversation”, Hini was “ready to play and wanted to play.”

Skinner suggested that players like Miyazawa, who board long-haul flights every international break, are more used to those kinds of travel demands.

“I think it’s different when we come from the UK. A three-hour travel down the M6 feels like forever, whereas actually, any player that takes flights regularly, they’re more resilient about that kind of travel. Hini is one of those,” he offered.

“We wouldn’t risk her, she was fully on board with the plan. Just at the end, we had to take her off to freshen up. We’ve already pre-planned where is the best space for her to get away. I think she’ll get away after the game next week. That’s days off, so she’ll get some rest period.”

WHY TERI STAYED ON THE BENCH

Elisabeth Terland, scorer of 15 goals this season – eight in the Champions League alone, remained an unused substitute on this occasion when she might have been expected to feature at some point.

Skinner explained that managing her physical load during this busy run of games – six in the space of just 15 days by the time second leg against Bayern is played on 1 April – influenced the decision.

“She was flared up from the other day, from three games back-to-back within seven days. So, it was absolutely management of [the] player,” he said.

“We would have looked to bring her on, but it was about managing her with the games coming up. It’s not an injury, it’s just something we have to keep relatively focused on, what we can use her for.”