Manchester United suffered another heavy defeat to Chelsea in the WSL on Sunday, leaving them at the foot of the table after two matchweeks.
Eva Olid’s side made a promising start, but Chelsea’s opening goal completely changed the momentum of the game and United never recovered. United produced another poor showing in front of goal, registering only two shots to Chelsea’s 24.
Here are five things United fans can take away from the game.
Medina’s 56 minutes of violence
The main positive for United was the performance of newly-signed left-back Andrea Medina. As United were penned in defensively, Medina showed her composure and quality at the back, keeping the threat from Chelsea’s right side limited early on.
She was aggressive in her tackles, often keeping control of the ball after making a sliding challenge. On top of that, she made a goal saving block to deny Ellie Carpenter in the first half. In a game United looked off the pace again, Medina was putting her body on the line for the team and showing the fight needed in these games.
As well as offering stability at the back, Medina provided an attacking outlet. On the few occasions United did push forward, it was often because of her clever movement on the overlap or her driving infield with the ball to create space out wide for Monica Jusu Bah.
She also had the most defensive contributions in the game, with 15. United’s first two performances have been poor, but Medina can come away from both having been one of their best players.
Unfortunately Medina was forced off through injury in the 56th minute, despite protests that she was okay to continue. She left the field in tears and United’s left side didn’t look anywhere near as strong after her departure, with Chelsea’s fourth coming down that side with huge gaps between Dominique Janssen and Anna Sandberg.
Bernal debut
Summer signing Rebeca Bernal made her United debut in this game and looked impressive during the 25 minutes she was on the field. With several players in her position struggling for form, having her fit and ready to go gives Olid another option.
Bernal came into the game with United 3-0 down against a strong Chelsea side and held her own in midfield, showing aggression and tenacity that United had lacked during the previous hour.
Bernal is a versatile player who can play at centre-back and in central midfield. Janssen made two mistakes that led to Chelsea goals on Sunday, so Olid could take her out of the firing line and give Bernal her first start in defence.
It was by no means a perfect performance from Bernal, but with the current starting players underperforming, Olid has a useful alternative.
Press easy to bypass
United opted for a different pressing approach against Chelsea compared to the game against London City. Elisabeth Terland and Jusu Bah initially pressed, followed by Julia Zigiotti Olme and Ella Toone. However, the press looked disorganised and Chelsea often bypassed those four players with ease, particularly down United’s right, where Jess Park also moved into central areas.
Pressing from the front requires players to move in unison. Against Chelsea, United’s front four instead spent much of the game chasing shadows, failing to win the majority of individual duels on the few occasions they did get close enough to apply pressure to the player in possession. Large gaps opened up between the two pairs, often leaving full-backs Hanna Lundkvist and Medina isolated when Chelsea played the ball out wide.
Player body language
One of the most concerning things was the demeanour of some of the players during key moments in the game. Misplaced passes were often followed by flailing arms and arguments over who was at fault while play was still ongoing. Frustration is expected when the overall team performance is poor. However, after the first goal, the body language of some players suggested an acceptance that defeat was coming.
In the post-match press conference, Olid said: “I don’t like heads being down. In football we know everything can happen. You can be losing 2-0 and the game can change and you can finish winning the game. We have to continue. Everything is about confidence. When we concede, we need to continue doing what we want to do. I think the goals we conceded affected our confidence a lot, but that cannot happen.”
Back to basics
A lot has been made of Olid’s new system and the players taking time to adapt to it, with question marks around how much Olid should adapt the approach in the short term to help the team pick up results. However, the opening games have also exposed problems with some of football’s basic fundamentals, with multiple individual errors and poor quality on the ball.
Off the ball, United have not shown enough movement to create passing lanes, which is vital to a style built around playing out from the back. A new style can improve the structure, but many of the players first need to execute the basics more consistently before United can expect a significant upturn in results.
