Leeds United were in a precarious position when Michael Skubala took over on a temporary basis from Jesse Marsch in February 2023, with the Englishman facing two Premier League games against Manchester United in quick succession.
Now the Lincoln City manager, Skubala's time as interim boss got off to a flyer in a mid-week game at Old Trafford, with Wilfried Gnonto bagging in the first minute of the game before a Raphael Varane own-goal doubled their lead.
That lead was short-lived, though, as Manchester United fought back to earn a draw in the game. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho both scored to break Leeds' hearts, though Skubala has since been able to take the positives from the result.
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"We were 2-0 up and I started thinking, ‘The clock is going really slow now – why is that?’ It was a brilliant experience, though, and that probably gave me the desire to want to get back there," Skubala exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "Maybe that’s part of my decision to come and have a go at Lincoln: I’ve seen it and felt it at the highest level.
"It was amazing – and we probably should have won that game. We played them again a few days later and were brilliant for 60 minutes [before losing 2-0], but the fine lines at that level are ruthless.
"That’s probably the biggest learning I have from taking that team: taking a top Premier League team when the players are so good, and seeing how games are decided on a knife edge. It was a great experience."
Indeed, those two games was Skubala's only time in the dugout of a professional football club as manager, though he did manage the England futsal team between 2017 and 2020. When Leeds sacked Marsch in February 2023, Skubala was the head coach of Leeds United's U21 side.
Along with Paco Gallardo and Chris Armas, he took temporary charge of the side battling relegation. It proved a great learning experience for the 41-year-old, who has managed to take that into his role as Lincoln City boss.
"I loved Jesse to bits and he was really good to me, but when he left, I was fortunate enough to lead the team into a few games, which was a brilliant experience – I enjoyed every minute of it," Skubala adds.
"Maybe I’m weird and people think it’s a lot of pressure, but I wanted to make the most of it and do the best job I could. You go back to what you have done for the rest of your career, focusing on the players, the tactics and being good on the grass, and keep the ship calm and support the club through that moment.
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