How Manchester United turned their WSL form around under Eva Olid

On Sunday at Leigh Sports Village, Elisabeth Terland scored a late equaliser for Manchester United against Manchester City, and by the account of those watching it did not feel like a surprise. The 1-1 draw ended City's 100% start to the Women's Super League season. It also stretched United's unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.

That is a long way from where United stood a month ago. After their first three WSL games they had no win and little confidence. The low point was a 5-0 home defeat by Chelsea. Yet head coach Eva Olid, who joined in the summer, said that "everything" about the derby pleased her. She called it one of the team's best performances, citing the fight, the hard work and the pressing, and said the confidence the group had built in a short time had been massive. United now sit fourth after seven matches.

The most visible change was tactical. Olid wants her teams to keep lots of possession, attack and take risks, and United struggled to adapt. In the defeats by London City Lionesses and Chelsea they managed just two shots on target and under 40% possession in each game. Olid felt her players were trying to do too much and had lost sight of strengths such as their defensive organisation.

Before the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates, she asked them to go back to what they knew. She said the things they were good at should stay, while the new style would be added little by little. She added that perhaps they thought she expected everything in the first match, which was impossible, and that it takes time. The Arsenal draw showed signs of improvement and became the foundation for what followed.

A kinder run of fixtures helped, with games against lower-ranked opposition and two successive WSL home matches. United took the maximum nine points, scored six goals and conceded two, and almost doubled their possession percentage. With a more familiar defensive structure and elements of Olid's approach layered on top, they created more going forward. They had managed only 197 passes ending in the final third across their first three games, but recorded 529 against West Ham, Liverpool and Charlton Athletic combined. Their shots rose from 10 to 42, and they won more aerial duels.

Olid believes the biggest changes came away from the pitch. She described a "transitional period" and said big discussions followed the Chelsea defeat, with players needing to rediscover confidence. She spoke of a lot of hard work and honest conversations about how the team could connect, and said a difficult moment was sometimes necessary to see which problems had to be solved.

The poor start affected individuals too. Vice-captain Ella Toone missed out on an England squad for the first time under Sarina Wiegman, though she was later called up as a reinforcement. She answered at club level by scoring in a 3-1 win at Charlton in mid October. Summer signing Andrea Medina has become a crucial member of the squad. England defender and United captain Maya le Tissier returned from the international break with renewed energy after impressing for her country.

The break also let Olid settle her staff. Fellow Spaniard Jose Herrera joined as assistant coach, alongside Gavin Beith, who worked with Olid at her former club Hearts. She said she used the time to reorganise roles and plan how they would work together, calling it like a new start.

Olid is keeping expectations level. She said the team needs its feet on the floor, that the season is long and the opposition strong, and that if United show the desire and fight they showed against City, not much can stop them. She added that there is still improving to do.