Manchester United head coach Eva Olid was full of praise for Lea Schuller following her outstanding performance in the 3-0 victory over Burnley in the Subway Players Cup.
United win
United came up against a stubborn Burnley side that played most of the game with a low block as they looked to frustrate their hosts.
It took 29 minutes for United to breach the Burnley defence, with Ellen Wangerheim punishing an error from the goalkeeper. Schuller netted a brilliant double in the second half to secure the victory for United.
| Stat | Lea Schüller |
|---|---|
| Apps | 10 |
| Minutes | 332 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 1 |
It was an occasion with many positives for United. Beyond stretching their unbeaten run to nine games across all competitions, Olid welcomed back multiple players.
Celin Bizet Donnum returned after more than a year out, having given birth in June. Jayde Riviere and Emma Watson also made their comebacks from injuries.
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, Olid hailed Schuller while also encouraging her players to carry their momentum forward into the next game against Everton in the WSL.
Olid’s remarks
Olid said about Schuller, “She [Schuller] is growing in confidence this season and every time, I feel that she is better.”
“There was help to grow in that confidence, we need her. It is good that everyone doing so well and the confidence is coming through and I am so happy for Ellen and the strikers too, so happy for both.”
She said about the performance and result, “It was a little slow, the game, it is difficult to play against a low block, they went so deep and in a back five, it was so difficult to penetrate and difficult to find the spaces in the box.” “I think the first half the game was a little bit slow, the second half was a little more quicker and we could find the spaces from wide areas to the box and we could score the two goals that [made it] 3-0.”
“It was a difficult game in terms of intensity but it is normal against a low block. At the end it is three goals, a clean sheet and we continue the good momentum.”
On the players who returned, Olid remarked, “For me today, apart from the three goals and the points in the cup, that is the most important thing, the three coming back are so important and I know they are going to be so important for the team.” “We play a lot of matches, the squad is so competitive and I am so happy for them three.”
Olid shared an update on Scarlet Hill, who was withdrawn in the second half with an apparent injury. “No update, I think it might be the calf but we need to check now.”
The 41-year-old added, “This match is really good for momentum but we cannot relax on Saturday, we have Everton in the league. In the league, anything can happen and everyone is difficult to play. We need to be so focused on Saturday, but today good players are coming back, strikers are scoring goals, a clean sheet. I think all of this is important going into Saturday.”
United sit in fourth place heading into this weekend’s round of WSL fixtures.
Featured image by Jess Hornby via Getty Images
