Eva Olid says 5-0 Chelsea loss was turning point as Manchester United Women climb to seventh

Eva Olid on first ten weeks at Manchester United Women

Manchester United Women boss Eva Olid has spoken to BBC Sport about her whirlwind first ten weeks in charge since her surprise appointment at the start of August after Marc Skinner’s departure.

Olid, 41, joined one of England’s biggest clubs just a month before the Women’s Super League season started. Speaking in a Manchester coffee shop, she described a schedule of “work, home, work, home” with little time to discover the city.

"It's been good but really busy," Olid said. "It's just been work, home, work, home."

From Hearts success to Carrington

The Spaniard enjoyed exceptional success in her previous role at Hearts, taking them from bottom of the table to Scottish Premier League champions within five years. She managed Hearts from 2021-2026 and began coaching at 26, favouring a possession-based style with an emphasis on building from the goalkeeper.

Relatively unheard of south of the border, Olid’s first priority at Carrington was to introduce herself to her players.

"My first day I showed them what I did in the past and who I was," she said. "I tried to be myself from second one. I showed that I'm a person before a coach."

"I didn't have time to be aware of where I was. I just went there, be myself trying to transmit to the players how I see football, to work hard, that I'm going to be there for them, that I want to make them better players. Trying to transmit the key messages that I wanted the players to take from the first moment."

Difficult start and a turning point

Olid inherited a thin squad and a new policy of prioritising developing academy players over making signings, while also wanting to implement a new attacking style.

In her opening two games United lost 2-1 at London City Lionesses before a galling 5-0 home defeat by Chelsea.

Olid believes the humbling loss to a title rival in front of United’s own fans proved a turning point in her relationship with the team.

"It was a difficult week," she said. "There were honest conversations. I took responsibility for a lot of things. I think that was a good starting point for the players."

"I was confident. It's crazy to say, I was confident because I knew what the problem was. And when you know the problem, you can change that."

Olid, a defensive midfielder during her playing career who took pride in doing the simple things well, decided to strip things back.

"I spoke, they spoke, and we knew what we had to do," she said. "That week was difficult - a lot of emotions - but going to Arsenal, we fought for each other, there was hard work. I think it was the perfect starting point for a good moment."

A 1-1 draw at the Emirates was the start of a five-game unbeaten run during which United have climbed from the bottom of the WSL to seventh.

"When you are in Manchester United, you need to find a way to win," she said. "It's a challenge - how you can win and at the same time develop players and at the same time implement a new style of play. You need to find the balance of all that together. And I think these last weeks, we got to that point."

Now settled into her role, Olid is keen to explore Manchester, starting with finding decent Spanish food.

"I have to say that the tapas... sorry, but some of the tapas bars are not 100% authentic," she said. "I had this experience in Scotland and I needed time to find a good tapas bar. Because you want it to feel like home. A little taste of home."

Olid admits she has yet to embrace driving on British roads but has become a fan of public transport.

"I was not brave [enough] to drive here," she said. "In Scotland I was moving a lot by bus and here I need to find the ways to move by tram."

One Manchester landmark she has already visited is Old Trafford.

"I came 13 years ago to a game - as a fan of football, and what I remember was amazing," she said. "On Saturday I went for second time and they showed me the changing rooms. The day that we play there this season, I will feel the happiest person in the world, like really like a dream."