“That’s never easy”: Eva Olid pinpoints what improving Man United Women must do to vanquish Liverpool

Eva Olid has spoken to the media ahead of Manchester United Women’s match with Liverpool Women this afternoon.

The Red Devils have won three on the bounce, including a 5-1 away win at Durham in the Players’ Cup on Wednesday.

No new injuries

Commenting in the press conference, Olid stated that her side had no new injury concerns ahead of the big game versus Liverpool.

Olid said, “everyone is okay, fortunately, apart from the players who have longer-term injuries. The rest are the same. This week has been quite busy. We played on Wednesday and then have another game on Saturday, so we haven’t had much time to prepare. As a manager, I prefer having longer weeks, of course.”

Commenting on the tighter schedule of matches now in the WSL, she explained, “as managers, we want to prepare well, give information to the players and prepare for different scenarios, but sometimes we don’t have enough time to do that. We just need to adapt. If you play on Sunday, that extra day helps a lot. When you play on Saturday, the preparation is a little tighter, but we have to adapt.”

Young players

United’s youngsters stole the show on Wednesday night and the club finished the game with six academy players on the pitch.

Speaking on this, Olid stated, “it was very positive. We finished the match with six young players, and they played really well. But it’s not just about playing those minutes. It’s about continuing to work together, following individual plans and having individual sessions so they can keep improving.”

Ella Toone’s England snub

It was announced earlier in the week that Ella Toone would not be a part of England’s squad for the upcoming internationals.

Olid explained, “you can imagine how all the players who normally are in the squad and then aren’t selected might be feeling. We had an honest conversation. As a manager, the first thing is always to make sure the players feel that you’re there for them and that you support them. We also need to listen. We’re going to keep working together so she can become the best version of herself as a player. That’s the same with everyone.”

The Spanish coach said she was happy with the progress her team have made in recent weeks, but a clear objective is that they want to keep their first clean sheet of the season.

Olid’s attention was then moved to her opponents Liverpool, and she praised the club’s decision to show loyalty with their manager even after struggling last season.

When asked to pick out what the opposition could do to hurt United, she explained, “they have a lot of mobility. They don’t have a fixed attacking shape. Different players can play and move into different areas of the pitch. That’s never easy to defend against. We know they have that mobility, so we have to be ready and prepare for it.”