Marc Skinner calls for rule change after Man Utd dumped out by PSG
Marc Skinner believes the current UEFA Women's Champions League format needs changing after his Man Utd side lost out to PSG in qualifying.
United exited Europe before the group stage after a 4-2 aggregate defeat in their second-round qualifying tie, losing 3-1 on the night despite Lisa Naalsund's second-half goal. It was a tough ask for United to beat last season's quarter-finalists and they join Arsenal in crashing out before the tournament proper, which begins with a 16-team group stage next month.
Big clubs leaving at the qualifying stage is something of a theme in this season's competition with last season's finalists Wolfsburg also going out on Wednesday night, losing to Arsenal's conquerors Paris FC.
United would only play in the group stage if they could get past a team that have regularly made the knock-out stage in recent years. They impressed for large periods of the second leg in Paris, but fell to a double from the ruthless Lieke Martens and a lob from Sandy Baltimore.
"I hope something is changed because we want the best teams in the Champions League," said Skinner. "Not just a spread of some average teams. We deserve to be at this level.
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"There are teams that are going through that are not good enough. It's crazy that we have to play PSG at this level. We'll have to learn from it, we'll come back from it."
The result means only Chelsea will represent the WSL in this season's tournament proper. With so many big names out before the competition really gets going, calls for UEFA to change the format will likely increase.
Man United's Hannah Blundell is distraught during the Champions League exit to PSGUnited can also feel aggrieved with a key decision in their second-leg defeat. At 3-1 down Leah Galton headed the ball into the net that appeared to give Skinner's side a route back into the tie.
But the referee disallowed the goal for minor contact between Galton and PSG defender Clare Hunt which, if given, could have got United back into the tie. After the game, Skinner openly criticised the decision and said that the standard of officiating was "not good enough."
"It's ridiculous," Skinner told MUTV. "If that is the level of officiating at this standard, it is not good enough, because that is a goal and we'd be on the ascendency then to get more. We came into an intimidating situation and that is a credit to our players... as a team, we're going to where we want to be and won't let anyone stand in our way.
PSG duo Lieke Martens and Tabitha Chawinga destroyed the United defence"But that (the Galton disallowed goal) was not good enough. We played our hearts out for our fans, but that decision was not good enough and they need to address that.
"We got a great response at half-time. But with those goals, we have to defend better at this level in the one v ones. I feel for our fans because they have been magnificent.
"We have to be more ruthless and we've learnt that, but I'm proud of what the girls did, I know we have the quality we have to keep proving it now. They (PSG) came off the pitch saying what a great team we are."
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