This video can not be played. Man Utd come from behind twice but lose first leg to Bayern.

Marc Skinner, the boss of Manchester United, knows that going to Germany to overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in the Champions League will test his side like never before. However, he refuses to believe it is a task beyond them.

Skinner rejected claims that his side were naive in not shutting the game down after they had fought back from conceding goals to former Chelsea star Pernille Harder twice, despite the first coming just two minutes in as Bayern executed their gameplan to perfection.

Instead, he preferred to focus on the positives of a match that ultimately turned against them due to an 81st-minute strike from Momoko Tanikawa. "I wouldn't call it a naivety," said Skinner. "There's going to be a little bit of learning in any game, especially when you're playing a quarter-final of the Champions League. I’m frustrated with all three goals. I don't think they had to work particularly hard to earn them. But what I know about this team is that they will be open and honest with that, and obviously we've got another leg to try and fix it and turn it around. We have belief. Of course we do. There is no point going to Germany if we don't."

Nevertheless, Bayern coach Jose Barcala said he expected United to play with a "really aggressive high press" and instructed his team to get behind them immediately. His players executed these instructions perfectly.

Arianna Caruso played a pass into the space between United's defense and their penalty area, enabling Harder to outpace skipper Maya Le Tissier and score, just as she did in the second half when the eventual match-winner Tanikawa provided the pass.

"He has just won the game 3-2, he is going to say that," said Skinner, referring to Barcala's comments that Bayern felt comfortable at times when United tried to make them feel uncomfortable. "Our challenge is to make them feel way more uncomfortable."

Bayern Munich defeated Man Utd in the Women's Champions League. Barcelona hit Real Madrid for six in their last-eight tie. Women's football needs more respect - Bompastor.

Skinner's counter to the idea that his side may have been better advised to drop deeper to prevent Harder from making those runs was sound. "There are two mistakes in there from us," he explained. "If you get pressure on the ball, you can't play the long ball. They tried it a few times and played the ball out of play. It worked for them tonight but if I stop those two chances, they don't score."

It sounds simple. But execution is key at the highest level. If you don't do that properly, you will get punished. There are a number of minor details that explain why United came out on the wrong side of a tight result. One of them is undoubtedly squad depth. Take the case of Japan midfielder Hinata Miyazawa, who played in the final of the Asian Cup in Sydney on Sunday and then travelled back to start for United. In contrast, Tanikawa, who did not get on the pitch against Australia, started on the bench for Bayern, who were mindful of the effects of jetlag and wanted her to make an impact, which she certainly did, by assisting Harder and then scoring the winner.

Skinner simply does not have enough players to rotate in such a situation. This makes the upcoming days particularly tough, featuring another Old Trafford outing against Women's Super League leaders Manchester City on Saturday, followed by the second leg against Bayern next Wednesday (17:45 BST).

"We've played the most football in Europe this year, and we've got a really small squad right now, so it will challenge us," said Skinner. "It will take us to the depths. But the carrot is there for us. We expect it to be difficult. You can kind of trench your mind into what you must do. That's why my players are at Manchester United. If they didn't want to do it, they wouldn't be at this club. They're going to give it absolutely everything."

Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed. Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page.