Williamson relishing England duty amid Arsenal run

England captain Leah Williamson has admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal.

Williamson returned to England duty on Monday as part of manager Sarina Wiegman’s 24-player squad following a testing period for Arsenal.

Jonas Eidevall resigned as manager last week after the club were humbled 5-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

Having been with Arsenal since preseason due to the lack of a September international window, the England captain admitted that she was happy to be back with the Lionesses and that the break from club football has come at the “right time.”

“I’m a footballer, our job is to win games and that hasn’t happened so smoothly,” she told a news conference on Thursday.

“Results tell a story, performance is another thing that you can actually change and affect on a day-to-day basis and to be honest, I’m happy to be here in a different environment. I think sometimes that comes at the right time and since I’ve been here, I’ve had no contact with club.

“To be here in this environment is refreshing, obviously; it is natural for that to be the case at this time and playing for this team, everyone knows how much we love it. I think you see that every day.

“It’s been a different start to the season. Obviously, we’ve been at club for a long time. Normally, we’d have an international break window before this so it’s been different in that sense of being there [with Arsenal] for so long and being in one place, we’re not used to that.”

Eidevall’s resignation came on the back of a string of disappointing results that saw Arsenal pick up just five points from their opening four WSL games. Following the consecutive losses to Bayern (in the Women’s Champions League) and Chelsea, sources told ESPN that Eidevall had lost the dressing room.

Arsenal appointed assistant manager Renee Slegers as interim head coach and secured consecutive wins — 4-1 over Valerenga in the Champions League and 2-0 over West Ham in the WSL — before heading into the international break.

“I think results tell a story, but I think the work that I’ve seen going on, especially from my club, I can only speak for that, I think you can see the level of the whole world of football has gone up,” Williamson said.

“Everyone is enjoying that challenge, and things change every year, but this is a Euros year now. Everyone’s focused; everyone will have a plan for the weekend and a plan for the next year. I think you’ll see that iron out over the next couple of months.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman admitted that the level of the game has risen at both club and international levels since their emphatic Euro 2022 triumph and encouraged her side to step up in their upcoming friendlies as they prepare to defend their crown at Euro 2025 in Switzerland.

While the Lionesses will be without Brighton midfielder Fran Kirby for their clash against Germany on Friday due to a minor injury, Wiegman is hopeful of having her back in contention for their clash with South Africa in Coventry on Tuesday.

Williamson’s club teammate and defensive partner, Lotte Wubben-Moy, is also not in contention for Friday’s game as she is still undergoing concussion protocol.

Lauren James withdrew from the squad on Sunday due to a calf injury. James was also absent for the crunch Euro qualifying fixtures in July, having last featured for England in April.

Despite the absentees, Wiegman admitted her squad selection is a good “headache” due to the high level of competition within the team.

Wiegman, a Netherlands native, was appointed to lead the Lionesses in 2021, securing the first major trophy for the team in 2022 and leading them to a World Cup final in 2023.

The duo defended the Football Association’s (FA) decision to appoint German manager Thomas Tuchel last week despite concern that neither of England’s managers are native to the country.

“I think firstly you can’t pick and choose when it suits us just based on a result,” Williamson said. “We’ve had great times with Sarina. I think she’s an honorary Brit now, anyway. The slang, she’s not quite up to scratch,” she joked.

“I think England teams want to win. The best coach will always be appointed. I know that there is so much, we’re across all the plans of the FA, the women’s game especially. I can’t speak for the men’s game, but there are so many opportunities for English coaches, and more and more opportunities are coming up. It’s not really my place to speak on managers, but I know that we’ve all been very happy with Sarina.

Wiegman added: “I’m just really happy that I was appointed. I will give my everything. I’m totally convinced that’s what Thomas Tuchel is going to do, too. He’s very committed, he’s shown how good of a coach he is, and I hope that he will bring success for England.”