Manchester United manager Eva Olid admitted her side “lost 50 minutes” in their 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses, but maintained that the gap between the two teams is “not that big” when United play with confidence.
Olid’s first Women’s Super League game in charge ended in frustration as London City took all three points in Bromley, with United finding it particularly difficult in the early stages of the match.
The visitors did not manage a single shot in the first half and spent long periods under pressure from Eder Maestre’s side, who punished United’s errors in possession and repeatedly troubled them with an aggressive press.
United were better after the break and eventually reduced the deficit through Simi Awujo in stoppage time, but the response came too late to change the result.
Speaking after the loss, Olid was especially unhappy with her team’s display in the first half and felt a lack of belief stopped United from showing the style she has been trying to put in place since taking over.
“I always say that it’s a process,” Olid said. “In three weeks, I try that the team believe that we can be a team that dominate with the ball and attack.
“I think it’s something more mental. The first half, we could feel like the players were not believing in having the ball.
“At half-time, I said, ‘Listen, this is not us.’ We need the ball to be ourselves, and of course, we could see a change in the second half.”
Olid believed United were much improved after the interval, when they showed greater willingness to build through midfield and pick out players in the spaces between the lines.
The Spaniard feels that had her side produced that level from the first whistle, the game could have looked very different.
“If we play 90 minutes like the second half, it will be another game,” she added.
“The basics in possession were wrong. We were giving them the balls to then attack. That is not what we want to be.
“In the second half, we were building through the middle, finding the free player, playing in the pockets between the lines. That is us. I could feel my team in the second half.
“But it’s my job to help them believe that we can always be the team of the second half. The first half, we need to forget it. That is not us.”
United’s improvement came only late in the game, with the visitors not recording their first effort until the latter part of the contest.
Olid accepted that London City deserved praise for the way they pressed and punished United in the first half, but she also felt her team showed after the interval that they are capable of competing.
“London City in the first half pressed well, took our mistakes and created chances,” she explained. “They did really well in the first half.
“But in the second half, I felt like we were in the match.”
When asked what she had learned about her players from her first WSL match in charge, Olid gave a straightforward answer.
“We cannot lose time,” she said. “From minute one, we need to be ourselves. We lost 50 minutes without doing anything, just defending. We don’t want that.”
Despite the difficult start, Olid remained convinced that United can compete with a London City squad featuring players such as Alexia Putellas, Delphine Cascarino and Grace Geyoro.
Asked how wide the gap currently is between the two sides, she dismissed the idea that United are significantly behind their opponents.
“If we are with confidence, the gap is not that big,” Olid insisted. “If we are playing as in the second half, I don’t think the gap is that big.”
When then asked whether United can compete with teams that possess London City’s level of individual quality, Olid replied simply: “Yes.”
Another point of frustration for United was their defending from set-pieces.
It had been an area of concern last season and again proved expensive in Bromley, with London City profiting from dead-ball situations.
Olid admitted it is an issue her team must work on, though she pointed to their set-piece defending in pre-season friendlies as proof that improvement can be made.
“We don’t have a lot of tall players,” she admitted. “But I think in the friendlies, we have been defending really well the set plays.
“It is frustrating that we conceded two set plays. Never a manager is happy with that because I think they were simple mistakes that we committed. We need to work on that, of course.”
There were, however, some positives for Olid from the players who came on from the bench.
Monica Jusu Bah and Awujo both influenced the game as United became more dangerous towards the end, with Awujo eventually scoring in stoppage time.
Neither player came into the opening weekend with much preparation behind them. Jusu Bah had trained with her new teammates for only two days, while Awujo had only recently returned from injury.
“I think they changed the match,” Olid said.
“Monica didn’t start because she just trained two days with us, but I think she made the impact. And Simi came from an injury. She has just been training this week.
“Imagine just training a few days and the impact that she had. It’s something so positive. If she keeps training, she can be a key player for us.”
United must now make sure that the improvement they showed after half-time becomes their starting level rather than something they produce only after going behind.
For Olid, that starts with belief.
“Everyone needs to have confidence to receive the ball. Everyone has to show for the ball, and take that to go for the next match,” she said.
“That confidence that we need to play against top teams. We are a top team too, that can play with the ball, can create chances to score and can win matches against the best teams.”
The opening result did not go the way Olid wanted, but her message afterwards was unmistakable: the Manchester United she saw in the early stages in Bromley is not the side she wants to create.
The task now is to ensure that the version which appeared after the interval is the one that shows up from the very first minute.
