“We’re still working”: Eva Olid promises more from her free-flowing Man United Women team

Manchester United Women manager Eva Olid has spoken to the media ahead of her side’s match against Everton Women this afternoon.

Evolution

The first topic she addressed was how her team has evolved since the start of the season, explaining, “yeah, especially in terms of the confidence the team now have in possession and out of possession. We look like a totally different team, but, as I say, we’re still the same team. The only difference is that we’ve now had more weeks working together, and we can feel that we understand each other better.”

She also stated that while her side can enjoy their current form, they must be prepared for changes, explaining, “we’re in a good moment, but we know how football works. During a season, you have ups and downs, and you always need to be ready for when things go well and when they don’t. You need to stay together and solve situations as a team. At the beginning of the season, we had two bad performances, but we were able to work together to understand what was happening and how we could improve.”

The derby last weekend

Reflecting on the 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend, Olid explained that the crowd numbers were similar to what she experienced in Heart of Midlothian matches against Hibernian, but overall, “we really enjoyed it. We were speaking with the staff about how much we enjoyed Sunday because the fans were with us. We could hear them, and these are the nights we are involved in football for. We enjoyed everything about it: the way the team played, the fans and the intensity of the game. These kinds of matches make us happy.”

Spanish talent moving to club

Olid was then asked about how she, her coaches, and player Andrea Medina are adapting to life at the club.

She explained, “Spanish players and coaches are doing well here. Sometimes, especially for players, we say that they need a period of adaptation because the culture, the weather and everything else are different. But I think Andrea, for example, has adapted really well, and she’s very happy here.”

Elaborating on what she loves about English football, she explained, “for me, the intensity of English football is really exciting. The players combine tactical awareness with technical ability, and that mix is exciting to watch. The physicality probably makes the game more intense, and combining that physicality with tactics and technical ability creates the perfect balance.”

Olid also revealed that she was delighted that Elisabeth Terland scored on Sunday and that Ellen Wangerheim and Lea Schuller both got on the scoresheet on Wednesday night against Burnley in the cup.

Development

The Catalan coach explained that she is happy with the progress her team has made, but that she still wants to see more.

She added, “in possession especially, we’re still working towards the way I want us to play. It’s normal that we need time to reach 100% of what I want. For the moment, we’re finding ways to win matches while also learning this new style and model of play. That’s completely normal.”

Olid continued, “for me, the Manchester City game was a big step forward. We didn’t get a point because we were lucky. We got a point by playing football, trying to have the ball, keeping possession and attacking. When we were defending, we were aggressive and working together. I think we deserved more than a point, but, in the end, I was very happy with the performance.”

Cup

The head coach also said she has been delighted with the young talent and fringe players taking their chance in the Players’ Cup and promised that, should they take their chance in the cup, they will get their opportunities in the league.

She also confirmed that everyone is available to play except Scarlett Hill.

Featured image by Jess Hornby via Getty Images