Eva Olid on her first 10 weeks as Manchester United manager
Eva Olid discusses her whirlwind start at Manchester United, the turning point after a heavy defeat, and adapting to life in Manchester.
Eva Olid has described her first 10 weeks as Manchester United manager as busy, with little time to explore the city she now calls home. Appointed in early August following Marc Skinner's departure, she arrived just a month before the Women's Super League season began. "It's been good but really busy," she told BBC Sport. "It's just been work, home, work, home."
Olid, 41, previously managed Hearts, where she took the team from bottom of the table to Scottish Premier League champions within five years. On her first day at United's Carrington training base, she focused on showing the players who she was. "I tried to be myself from second one," she said. "I showed that I'm a person before a coach."
Her start was challenging. She inherited a thin squad and a new policy of prioritising academy players over signings, while aiming to implement an attacking style. United lost 2-1 at London City Lionesses and then 5-0 at home to Chelsea. Olid believes that defeat proved a turning point. "There were honest conversations," she said. "I took responsibility for a lot of things. I was confident because I knew what the problem was."
After stripping things back, United drew 1-1 at Arsenal, starting a five-game unbeaten run that lifted them from bottom to seventh in the WSL. Olid said the challenge is to win while developing players and embedding a new style. "You need to find the balance," she said. "These last weeks, we got to that point."
Off the pitch, Olid is settling into Manchester. She has yet to drive on British roads but uses the tram, and is searching for authentic Spanish food. "Some of the tapas bars are not 100% authentic," she said. She has visited Old Trafford, where she went 13 years ago as a fan. "The day that we play there this season, I will feel the happiest person in the world," she said.
