After a difficult start, Manchester United are beginning to show what Eva Olid wants them to be. Now fourth in the WSL table, the signs of progress are encouraging, but are United really turning a corner?
Criticism can fall quickly on new managers, and the football industry has a habit of judging a seed before it has had time to take root.
Cast your mind back four matchdays and you might recall a forlorn figure on the touchline, seemingly wrestling with the task of turning her vision into reality.
Eva Olid has faced her share of scrutiny since taking charge at Manchester United, including from us just last month.
Questions centred on the defensive frailties exposed in United’s opening two games against London City Lionesses and Chelsea, especially the 5-0 thrashing against the Blues, while Olid’s vision for a possession-based, attack-minded side was difficult to discern.
Their opening two defeats made it just the second time in WSL history that United had started a season with back-to-back losses, following their debut campaign in 2019-20.
Fast-forward to now and the picture could not look more different.
United are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, with their 1-1 draw against Manchester City last time out offering the clearest sign yet that Olid’s ideas are taking hold against the league’s best.
They are also outperforming their expected points tally by 4.3 points, the largest margin in the league. But is this just down to good fortune, or do the underlying numbers point to genuine improvement?
actual vs expected points WSL
actual vs expected points WSL
United Take the Game to City
The draw against City was not simply a case of the Red Devils hanging on for a point against their neighbours, but it was a performance backed by belief that three points were there for the taking.
Andrée Jeglertz’s side completed a WSL double over United last season, winning both games 3-0. This time, the contest was far more evenly matched.
As you can see from the respective zones of control below, in this fixture last season, City controlled the majority of zones on the pitch. However, United had more control in their own half this time around, and imposed themselves on the game far more.
WSL 2025-26 Man U zones of control vs City
WSL 2025-26 Man U zones of control vs City
WSL 2026-27 Man U zones of control vs City
WSL 2026-27 Man U zones of control vs City
Though United started on the front foot, City grew into the contest and the hosts were forced to absorb pressure. Unlike in their heavy defeat to Chelsea, though, they found ways to push back.
United’s 45.6% field tilt – a metric that measures territorial dominance by looking at the share of possession each side has in their attacking third compared to their opponent – was their highest against one of the WSL’s traditional top three since recording 50% against Chelsea in April 2025. Against City, it was their best figure since May 2023, when they registered 56.4%.
Man U WSL field tilt vs City 26-27
Man U WSL field tilt vs City 26-27
They also recorded 13 high turnovers, their third-most against the traditional top three in WSL history.
Man U high turnovers vs City WSL
Man U high turnovers vs City WSL
Their average of 3.62 passes per sequence against City was also their third-highest against any traditional top three opponent in the WSL.
Add those all together and the figures suggest a side no longer content to sit back. United were competing for the ball higher up the pitch, sustaining possession and looking to exploit City’s defensive weaknesses.
Man U passing network vs City WSL
Man U passing network vs City WSL
Their best passages came when they moved the ball quickly. One- and two-touch combinations offered a glimpse of Olid’s philosophy at its most effective, even against the reigning champions.
The clearest example came when Ella Toone backheeled the ball into Andrea Medina’s path, helping to create an opening for Julia Zigiotti Olme.
After the game, Olid said: “If we play like this, nothing can stop us.”
It was a bold claim, but the performance did support her claims. United proved they can go toe-to-toe with City, progressing the ball and finding spaces that had been difficult to access across the opening WSL games of the season.
Attacking Resurgence
United’s improved performance against City was not the only recent positive sign, though, with their attacking numbers across their last four WSL games really improving.
Across their opening three WSL fixtures this season, United averaged just 0.39 non-penalty expected goals (xG). Across their subsequent four, that figure has risen to 1.29 xG per game.
WSL 2026-27 Man U xG per game MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Man U xG per game MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Man U xG per game MD4-7
WSL 2026-27 Man U xG per game MD4-7
Their shot volume has risen sharply, too, going from 3.3 per game across the opening three fixtures to 13.2 across the subsequent four.
Man U WSL rolling four game xG & xGA average
Man U WSL rolling four game xG & xGA average
Obviously, the quality of their opponents must be taken into account. Their first three games came against London City, Chelsea and Arsenal, while their last four have included clashes with West Ham, Liverpool and Charlton.
The improvement has still been visible, though, and their passing data offers another indication of development.
Again, the quality of opponent must be taken into account, but United have averaged 58% possession across their last four games, the fourth-highest figure in the league over that period. Only Liverpool (1,984) have completed more passes than Olid’s side in that time (1,899).
Crucially, they are getting the ball into advanced areas more often.
Just 12% of United’s open-play touches came in the final third across their opening three fixtures. Over their next four, that share rose to 23%, while only Arsenal (555) and Chelsea (511) completed more passes ending in the final third than United (470) in that latter period.
WSL 2026-27 Open-play touches MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Open-play touches MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Open-play touches MD4-7
WSL 2026-27 Open-play touches MD4-7
They are putting in hard work off the ball, too; only Liverpool (242) have won possession more often than United (205) across the last four matchdays.
So we’ve established that the foundations are improving; the next question is who is turning that control into chances.
Players Finding Their Feet
Ella Toone is back.
Before the international break, Toone averaged a combined 0.22 non-penalty xG and expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes across her preceding 10 WSL appearances. It was her second-lowest 10-game average since joining United, behind only a spell between April and November 2024.
She created just two chances across United’s opening three league fixtures. Over the next four, she has created six.
Her performance against City was an encouraging sign of that renaissance. Toone completed 14 passes ending in the final third, a figure she has bettered against City only once before, when she recorded 19 in December 2022.
Toone heatmap WSL vs City
Toone heatmap WSL vs City
She has also taken nine shots across United’s last four WSL games, more than any other United player over that period.
For a player who has occasionally struggled to impose herself on the biggest occasions, her influence against City was particularly welcome.
Jess Park has provided another creative threat. Across the last four games, Park has created nine chances. Only Océane Hurtré (17), Katie McCabe (11) and Fuka Nagano (11), have created more in the WSL over that period. The former City player has also completed 10 dribbles, second only to Hurtré (12), while she leads all players for carries ending in a chance created (6) in that same period.
Her ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces gives United an alternative to their passing combinations. A possession-heavy approach can sometimes become predictable without players capable of breaking lines or disrupting a defensive block, but Toone and Park have provided that individual quality in recent games.
Their experience has helped bring greater variety to Olid’s attack, complementing her possession-based principles with a more inventive edge.
While Toone and Park have attracted attention, Olme’s performances have arguably gone under the radar.
The midfielder is United’s top scorer in the WSL this season with three goals, while her 1.93 touches in the opposition box per 90 are also the highest figure she’s recorded in the WSL since 2021-22.
She scored in consecutive games against Liverpool and Charlton for the first time in United colours, having last achieved that feat for Brighton in February 2023.
Against Charlton, the Swedish international recorded seven touches in the opposition box and 26 successful passes ending in the final third, both career highs in a WSL match. She also attempted four shots, a total she has exceeded in only one league game this year (6 against Aston Villa in January).
touch map Olme WSL United
touch map Olme WSL United
Defensive Improvement
Their attacking progress has been matched by a marked improvement at the other end.
United conceded eight goals in their first three games, from an average xG against of 2.04 per game. Over their next four matches, they conceded just three times and allowed 1.18 xG per game.
WSL 2026-27 Man U xGA per game MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Man U xGA per game MD1-3
WSL 2026-27 Man U xGA per game MD4-7
WSL 2026-27 Man U xGA per game MD4-7
The improvement has coincided with a more proactive approach without the ball.
United were joint lowest for pressed sequences (21) after three games. Over their subsequent four games, however, they recorded 62 pressed sequences, joint-fourth in the league alongside Arsenal.
They also produced eight shots ending in a high turnover, with only Liverpool and London City (both 9) recording more over the same period. United are pressing more often and turning that pressure into opportunities.
The most encouraging sign will be that Olid has not simply abandoned her principles to shore up the defence, but she is adapting them to the players at her disposal.
In the opening weeks, United looked shaky when playing out from the back. Their passes became predictable, and they were making frequent mistakes. More recently, they have shown greater variety in their build-up, changing the rhythm of their play and recognising when to persist with short passing and when to find another route forward.
There is still room for improvement; the Red Devils’ attacking remains modest when looking at their underlying chances, with their 5.16 xG across the last four games ranking fifth lowest in the league despite seven goals.
The context of their fixtures must be taken into account, but their fighting draw with Man City was as positive a sign as we’ve seen that Olid can potentially take Man Utd to new levels in the long run.
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