How United Women are preparing for Brann away

Manchester United Women have landed in Bergen, where the team’s Champions League campaign will continue against Norwegian league leaders Brann on Thursday evening.

The 18:00 BST kick-off is live on MUTV (excluding in Norway, due to broadcasting restrictions) and is the first half of a huge two-legged tie, which winning will see the Reds advance to the competition’s main stage: an 18-club league phase.

But how have Marc Skinner’s side been preparing for the European assignment? Well, I was lucky enough to get a front-row ticket to the players and staff’s preparations today (Wednesday) in my role as a club reporter, and wanted to share as much of an insight as possible on the work that’s being done behind the scenes.

So, below is the inside story on what was an eventful day, which started with an 8.30am press conference at Carrington and is rounding up as I type this, shortly after touch down in Bergen…

Skinner’s media briefing before Brann (A) Video

Skinner’s media briefing before Brann (A)

PRESS CONFERENCE | United Women’s Champions League campaign continues on Thursday! Here’s the latest from the camp…

A ‘matchday-1’ – as you may often hear the day before a game referred to – is one of my favourite days working in football media. There’s always plenty going on, fresh storylines to cover and you really feel that sense of anticipation driving up, both internally and externally, ahead of what’s to come. This one was no different.

United have started the season brilliantly. Three wins from three, two coming in the Champions League to set up this next European encounter and, most recently, a high-scoring victory on the opening weekend of the Women’s Super League season.

There’s a real buzz among the players and staff, and you could sense that as early as 8.30am this morning, when head coach Marc Skinner walked into the press-conference auditorium to conduct his pre-match media briefing with journalists.

The boss was in good spirits as he fielded questions from the assembled press pack, who had dialled in virtually on the early call to get the latest news and views during a session that lasted just over 15 minutes.

It was positive to hear that our injured players are all nearing returns, albeit not in time for this game, while it was really nice to learn that Hannah Blundell would be playing her first minutes since giving birth, in the Under-21s’ fixture later in the day.

That would be the main angle for my story rounding up the key quotes from the briefing, published shortly before heading out to catch the start of the team’s training session, which got under way just prior to 11am.

It was blustery and a tad chilly as our media team first arrived at the pitches – meaning I went and grabbed the big coat that had exclusively been sitting in my car boot for the last three or four months – but the sun did make a timely appearance for the players’ emergence shortly after.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce was the first out and swiftly followed by the rest of the squad, including our duo of former Brann players, Lisa Naalsund and Elisabeth Terland, who enjoyed the stroll out to practice while doing a quick ‘walk-and-talk’ interview to preview their return to familiar territory. While waiting for Lisa to come out, Elisabeth was inquisitive about our media team’s record of previous visits to her home country and provided a few recommendations that I’m sure we’ll take her up on should we get time before the game on Thursday.

The pair then made their way across to join up with the group, who were huddled together before the start by Skinner for a special presentation. Summer signings Julia Zigioitti Olme and Jess Park were both reunited with the shirts that they made their WSL debuts for the club in at the weekend, now adorning their team-mates’ signatures.

It was a nice touch, with the players also notably wearing their training tops inside out as a respectful mark of awareness for it being World Suicide Prevention Day.

The session began with some quick running drills and changes of direction through poles to get warmed up, while the players narrowly avoided the sprinklers watering the nearby pitches. Our cameraman Noel unfortunately wasn’t so lucky, getting a brief drenching as he admirably held in there to capture some close-up footage.

A series of small-sided ‘rondos’ followed, while away from the outfield group, new goalkeeping coach Joe Potts got to work with the keepers on another area of the training pitches.

The coaches’ drone flying up high to capture the more tactical details of the session was our cue in the media team to turn cameras off and head inside, but even in just a quarter of an hour there is so much expertise, skill and quality on show that is a real privilege to witness first hand.

Not long after, we headed back out onto another pitch across the way, for the Under-21s’ game in which Blundell was making her milestone return to action, having last played in our final match of the 2023/24 season.

Fellow first-teamer Rachel Williams, building up to make a comeback from the sidelines of her own, featured in the PGA U21 Women’s League clash with Leicester City too.

With Williams up front, Blundell started at right-back and, wearing her customary no.6 jersey, was a clearly vocal presence in a young Reds backline. Watched on by her partner Tom – who plays for League Two side Oldham – and her baby daughter Romi, she even had a chance to score in what would have been an incredible moment, firing just over the crossbar after a corner had been cleared to her on the edge of the 18-yard area.

Williams also went close to finding the target with a header from the aforementioned corner, in an opening 45 minutes that was eagerly watched on by Skinner, his coaching staff and members of the squad, who had made the walk out to the pitch to catch the first half of the action before getting on the buses to Manchester Airport.

If you saw our coverage of the men’s team’s pre-season trip to the United States over the summer, you may recognise the Ray-Ban Meta glasses that were sometimes given to the players to record things from their perspectives. Melvine Malard was the grateful possessor – and entrusted keeper – of those for this bus journey and may have a second career in our media team if she wants it, having also taken up photography duties earlier in the day, capturing some of the players coming out to training.

Malard then left the glasses in the safe hands of goalkeeper Kayla Rendell to film on the flight, and you will soon be able to see the footage that they captured in a vlog of the day on our channels. Be sure to keep an eye out for that!

The team plane arrived through rainy Bergen skies just before 8pm local time, prior to a short bus ride over to the team hotel, where players and staff rounded off the day with a meal together.

All focus is now firmly on matchday, for which the excitement is palpable. As the team delve into their final preparations on Thursday, our media crew here in Bergen will be looking to bring you more build-up, coverage and insight from on the ground, so be sure to keep an eye out for that across our official platforms.

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