Marie-Louise Eta details Union Berlin women's recovery after tactical change

Marie-Louise Eta has described her focus on developing Union Berlin's women's team after a difficult opening to the season, with a change of formation accompanying an improvement in results. In an interview published by the Guardian on Tuesday, the coach discussed her current role and the pressures surrounding her historic spell with Union's men.

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Union's women lost their first four games, beginning with a 4-1 defeat by Bayern Munich, but have since beaten RB Leipzig and Stuttgart, as well as Magdeburg in the cup. Eta initially used a 4-4-2 formation before moving to 4-3-3. She told the Guardian she wants her side to take control of matches while playing with energy and attacking ambition.

The 35-year-old said her objectives extend beyond results and the team's league position. She also wants individual players to progress and the squad to establish a recognisable style. Taking charge of the women's team this season had always been the plan, according to the report, despite her intervening assignment with the men's side earlier in the year.

Eta became the first woman to lead a men's top-flight team in one of Europe's five major leagues when Union appointed her interim head coach in April after dismissing Steffen Baumgart. Her five-match spell produced two wins, one draw and two defeats, securing Bundesliga survival and an 11th-place finish. Losses to Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig were followed by a draw with Cologne, a 3-1 win at Mainz and a 4-0 victory over Augsburg.

Reflecting on that period, Eta said she had wanted her coaching and performance to be assessed on the same basis as those of male colleagues. She described the attention surrounding her gender as intense. Union publicly condemned sexist abuse directed at her on social media, while she also received messages from women and girls who said her progress had encouraged them.

Eta said the experience reinforced the importance of remaining composed and helping players gain confidence, find solutions and develop. She hopes her career can encourage girls to pursue their ambitions, but told the Guardian that the quality of a coach's work should determine opportunities. Her present priorities remain improving the players and building the women's team.