Red Devils on the rise
Manchester United’s success this season is not a story of sudden arrival; it’s one of consolidation. Under Marc Skinner, the Red Devils have converted from a side showing great promise to a club that is operating with the steadiness that expects to push for UEFA Champions League qualification every year.
The Reds have won four straight BWSL matches, are unbeaten in the league since a 3–0 defeat to Manchester City Women on November 15th, over three months ago, and have a tangible chance to add silverware to their trophy cabinet in the Subway Women’s League Cup final against Chelsea Women on March 15th. Those are the contours of a team that has learned how to compete at the top consistently rather than simply surprise.
Where the table and metrics leave the Reds
United sit second in the BWSL heading into the international break and their underlying numbers back up that standing: 35 goals scored and just 16 conceded from 16 matches, a +19 goal difference that signals both cutting edge and defensive solidity. Only two league defeats, a 3–0 reverse to rivals Man City and a 1–0 loss to Aston Villa earlier in November, as well as four draws, separate them from a perfect points haul.
Possession statistics illustrate how United dictate games: they sit fourth in the BWSL for average possession at 56.4%, a figure that explains why they can suffocate opponents and build patiently from the back. Another revealing stat is where the points have come from: United have accrued 19 points away from home versus 15 on home turf, averaging 2.38 points per away game and 1.88 at home. That efficiency on the road, in particular, has turned United from a team that simply grinds results into one that can take control across different environments.
Recruitment has altered the spine and added quality in depth
This season’s transfer work has been surgical. First, the Red Devils’ summer additions supplied clear tactical answers. Swedish midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme joined from Bayern Munich, where she had been praised for her “defensive strength, flexibility and quality on the ball.” These qualities have been on full display in Manchester, with the 28-year-old’s capacity to win the ball and recycle possession giving United a safety valve when they push high, and allowing creative midfielders around her license to roam.
The signing of Fridolina Rolfö has added directness and an eye for goal off the left flank. She has netted six league goals so far and has quickly become a fan favourite, stretching opponents and creating overloads when full-backs press. The 32-year-old has also added experience and an understanding of how to win at the very top level, having joined following a four-year spell at Barcelona during which she helped the club to two UEFA Champions League titles and four Primera División crowns.
Meanwhile, the deadline-day capture of Jess Park has provided a creative output: Park’s six league goals and four assists in 16 BWSL appearances show she converts possession into clear, match-deciding chances. Capable of operating in the number 10 position or out wide, the England international has been clinical in front of goal, as she currently leads United’s BWSL goalscoring charts, while also regularly laying on chances for teammates.
January’s transfer window further deepened the squad with purposeful acquisitions, adding quality in depth. Lea Schüller brings a proven goals record from Germany, having scored 104 goals in 180 games for Bayern Munich, and immediately transforms United’s forward line, adding competition for places.
Full-back Hanna Lundkvist, who has slotted straight into the starting 11, and exciting young talent Ellen Wangerheim also increase tactical flexibility and rotation options. The net effect of the Reds’ winter business is twofold: United can sustain high intensity across competitions, and opposing coaches can no longer plan for one single solution to stifle United’s attack.
Defensive platform is key
United’s defensive solidity, conceding only 16 goals in 16 BWSL games, is the platform for everything they do higher up the pitch.
Captain Maya Le Tissier and Dominique Janssen have formed a complementary partnership: both players are excellent at progressing the ball, while Le Tissier’s reading of the game and leadership combine with Janssen’s aerial presence and aggression off the ball. That blend of composure on the ball and aggression off it allows United to progress play from the back with fewer risky turnovers and makes high pressing a less profitable tactic for opponents.
Behind them, Phallon Tullis-Joyce provides more than routine shot-stopping; she is a force between the sticks. Having joined the Red Devils from OL Reign in September 2023, the 29-year-old replaced Mary Earps as United’s number one goalkeeper the following summer. Since then, the USA international has earned the BWSL 2024/25 Golden Glove award, shared with Hannah Hampton, been named United’s Players’ Player of the Year and was also included in the PFA WSL Team of the Year, a sequence of honours that underline how her big saves at crucial moments have regularly turned potential defeats into points.
Midfield control and a distributed attacking threat
Midfield balance has given United both protection and a springboard for attack. The arrival of Zigiotti Olme has supplied a reliable screening presence who most often partners Hinata Miyazawa, a technician whose composure and relentless work-rate allow United to control transitions and sustain pressure higher up the pitch. That platform is reflected in a striking consistency: Miyazawa and captain Le Tissier have started all 16 league matches and played every available minute, underlining how central those two are to the team’s structure.
Ahead of them, creative licence has been given to players who both invent and finish. Ella Toone, sidelined by a calf injury since November, still boasts five assists in 11 league appearances, an average of 0.48 assists per 90 minutes, a team-leading rate. Park has supplied the other half of the equation: her direct chance creation and end product turn possession into clear opportunities.
For Skinner’s side, goals have come from many different sources. The Reds have found the net 35 times in the league, second only to Manchester City, and those goals are shared across the squad.
Park leads the club tally with six, while Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland have each contributed five. Wider and midfield contributions have come from Rolfö, Lisa Naalsund and Toone, each with three, and the January additions of Schüller and Wangerheim give Skinner extra goal threats and selection headaches up front. That distribution of goals and creativity means opponents cannot nullify United by focusing on one outlet. Shut one player down and another will often step forward.
Culture, continuity and the “golden thread”
There is an often-overlooked ingredient to United’s recent consistency: the psychology of the squad. Skinner, who took charge in 2021 and is now the longest-serving current manager in the Barclays Women's Super League, has repeatedly pointed to his team’s cohesion as a major factor behind their success.
At a post-match press conference last month, he said: “If there’s any team that can be stretched and still keep winning, it’s us. Our team believe in each other. I’ve said this a million times, but there’s a thread between our team even at our most stretched and it’s a golden thread most teams would die for. It’s the commitment, the energy, the togetherness.” That mental resilience is one reason United have been able to convert tight contests into points, particularly on the road.
The realistic ambitions from here
In the short term, the priorities are crystal clear for United: turn the Subway League Cup final next month into silverware, complete the integration of January signings and protect their second-place league position. Their excellent form and squad depth give them the tools to do that; it’s now about converting opportunity into results across a congested calendar.
Medium term, Champions League qualification should continue to be treated as an expectation, not a bonus. Dethroning a dominant Manchester City remains the toughest ask, but United have assembled the pieces to make a sustained challenge.
