Arsenal defender Leah Williamson was left reminiscing after captaining the Lionesses to an 8-0 victory over North Macedonia in their FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 qualifier in Southampton last night.
Williamson led her side to a dominant victory as stand-in captain following centre-back Steph Houghton’s withdrawal from the squad ahead of the match. She slotted into the midfield in head coach Sarina Wiegman’s new look side and controlled the proceedings throughout. In an impressive performance for the Arsenal star, she assisted Ella Toone’s opener and won a penalty which was converted by Ellen White.
Speaking in the post match press conference, Williamson told FAWSL Full-Time that the experience left her in a reminiscent mood after following in the footsteps of hero Kelly Smith.
“For sure, this is a nice day along the way and a part of the journey;” Williamson stated. “I’ve come a long way, I remember standing as a mascot with Kelly Smith that day. It’s nice to look back I suppose and appreciate the journey.
“I’ll enjoy it today but tomorrow it’s back to work and everything goes back to normal.”
Williamson’s England teammate Georgia Stanway recently spoke about players learning to live in the present, having previously talked too much about winning major tournaments, something that was echoed by Williamson.
When asked by FAWSL Full Time whether, if given the position permanently, she’d set her sights on winning trophies, the Arsenal centre-back provided a modest and focused answer.
She said “I’ll keep working on myself, try and make myself useful to the team and whatever they need me to be, I’ll step up to that.”
On many previous occasions, Williamson has shown her ability to play in many differing positions for England. Last night, head coach Wiegman experimented with the 24-year-old by playing her in midfield. Even though she was able to assist Toone’s opener and win her side a penalty kick, the player was self-critical of her performance.
“I’m trying not to put a damper on the day to be honest but I wasn’t too pleased with myself for the majority;” Williamson said. “I just tried to work hard, in terms of winning the ball back and shape. That definitely wasn’t my best performance.”
England’s next FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 qualifier comes against Luxembourg on Tuesday evening.
