Two shots for. One on target. Twenty-five faced. Five conceded. The numbers from Manchester United's 5-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Sunday tell the story of an afternoon in Leigh where the gap between the club and the division's elite looked wider than it has in years. It came a week after a 2-1 opening day loss to London City Lionesses, leaving United with their worst start to a WSL season since their debut 2019-20 campaign, when they lost to Arsenal and Manchester City in their first two games.
Eva Olid arrived in the summer with a contract until 2028 and an option for an extra year, tasked with developing young players and building an attacking identity. The Spaniard guided Hearts to their first Scottish Women's Premier League title last season but came to Manchester untested in the WSL and in Europe. After two games, the questions about her appointment are already forming. The manner of the Chelsea defeat, watched from the stands by the club's director of football operations Ameesh Manek, will concern Olid as much as the statistics.
United's first shot came from Elisabeth Terland, a tame attempt 10 minutes in. Their second arrived 72 minutes later, a blocked effort from substitute Lea Schuller at the edge of the box. In between, Chelsea moved the ball with a speed and precision that United could not match. Sonia Bompastor's side hurt United repeatedly in wide areas, and the home side had no answer.
"Chelsea are a good side and we knew we had to defend," Olid said. "When you have the ball, you need to keep it longer. Don't lose the ball and create transitions. Keep it until we find the spaces to penetrate and create chances. They hurt us a lot in the wide areas too. We have to be better."
The context for this start matters. United sold Melvine Malard, their most productive player last season with 19 goal involvements, to Chelsea in the summer. Defender Millie Turner and midfielder Lisa Naalsund left for promoted Birmingham City. All three were part of the 2023-24 Women's FA Cup-winning squad. The club has moved towards a sustainable model focused on youth development, and the new arrivals are still settling in. Sweden winger Monica Jusu Bah, signed from BK Hacken, had eight touches in 63 minutes. Midfielder Rebeca Bernal picked up a yellow card on her debut off the bench. Full-back Andrea Medina, who joined from Atletico Madrid, was United's brightest spark but was distraught after being forced off with an injury in the second half.
"We never enjoy losing football games and we never enjoy losing by five goals," Terland said. "We all want to win and that is why we play football. We can't do anything about the result today, so we have to take the learning from it and move forward."
Olid had urged her players to be "brave" and have an "attacking mindset" this season. That approach has not translated into results yet. Replacing Marc Skinner was never going to be straightforward. Skinner divided opinion among supporters during his five-year reign, but he led the club to a first major trophy with the FA Cup triumph, three other cup finals, two top-three finishes and the Women's Champions League quarter-finals last season. His departure came after hints of frustration over the lack of investment in the squad, just like his predecessor Casey Stoney, who stepped down in 2021.
There is an argument that Skinner overachieved, working with fewer resources than United's rivals. The club has been criticised for its training facilities in recent years, and owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments about the women's team drew ire. Olid arrived with a remit to change the style of play, but she insisted perspective was needed after the winless start.
"It's what I said to the players, that it's just the beginning," she said. "It's just two matches. It's not how you start but how you finish. Now we need them to learn from the mistakes and grow to go from down to high, that's our idea."
The schedule does not get kinder. United visit Emirates Stadium next week to face Arsenal, then host West Ham. Meetings with Liverpool and Manchester City follow next month. "We are not going to stop," Olid said. "We will keep working hard and hope next week, we can feel that improvement."
Terland was asked after the defeat what it was like to play under the new manager. "It has been very new and exciting and she wants to play attacking football, she wants to keep the ball and find a fun way of playing football," the Norway international said. "If we can get that to work, it will be a very fun way of playing football. It takes a lot of time to adapt as it is very different to what we have done before but if we continue to develop it will be fine."
Olid might be asking for patience, but the coming weeks will test how much of it exists at United. A trip to Arsenal next week offers a chance to respond, or another reminder of the distance this squad has to travel.
According to Yahoo Sports.
