England captain Leah Williamson admitted it was “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turmoil at Arsenal.
Williamson returned to England duty on Monday as part of manager Sarina Wiegman’s 24-man squad after a trial spell for Arsenal.
Jonas Eidevall resigned as manager last week after the club were beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Having been with Arsenal since pre-season due to the absence of the September international window, the England captain admitted he is happy to be back with the Lionesses and that his break from club football has come at “the right time.”
“I’m a footballer, our job is to win the game and it doesn’t happen smoothly,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.
“Results tell the story, performance is another thing that you can change and be affected every day and to be honest, I like being in a different environment. I think sometimes it’s on the right side. time and since I’ve been here, I haven’t been in contact with the club .
“To be here in this environment is refreshing, obviously; it is natural to be the case at this time and play for this team, everyone knows how much we love it. I think you see that every day.
“It’s a different start to the season. Obviously, we’ve been at the club for a long time. Normally, we’d have an international break window before this, so it’s different to the feeling of being there (with Arsenal) for a long time and being in one place, we’re not used to it .
Eidevall stepped down following a disappointing run of results that saw Arsenal pick up just five points from their opening four WSL matches. After back-to-back defeats at Bayern (in the Women’s Champions League) and Chelsea, a source told ESPN that Eidevall has lost the dressing room.
Arsenal appointed assistant manager Renee Slegers as interim head coach and won back-to-back wins — 4-1 against Valerenga in the Champions League and 2-0 against West Ham in the WSL — before the international break.
“I think the results tell the story, but I think the work that I have seen, especially from my club, I can only say about it, I think you can see the level of football has all gone up. “said Williamson.
“Everyone loves the challenge, and everything changes every year, but this is the year of the Euros now. Everyone is focused; everyone will have plans for the weekend and plans for next year. the next few months.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman has admitted that the level of the game has risen at club and international level since winning Euro 2022 decisively and is encouraging her team to go further in the 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 Friday’s game against Germany due to a minor injury, Wiegman hopes to return for the match against South Africa in Coventry on Tuesday.
Williamson’s teammate and defensive partner, Lotte Wubben-Moy, is also out of action for Friday’s match as she is still undergoing concussion protocol.
Lauren James withdrew from the squad on Sunday with a calf injury. James was also absent for the Euro qualifiers in July, having last appeared for England in April.
Despite his absence, Wiegman admitted that his squad selection was a “headache” given the high level of competition in the team.
Wiegman, a native of the Netherlands, was appointed to lead the Lionesses in 2021, securing the team’s first major trophy in 2022 and leading them to the World Cup finals in 2023.
The duo defended the Football Association’s (FA) decision to appoint Germany manager Thomas Tuchel last week despite concerns that no English manager is originally from the country.
“I think first of all you can’t pick and choose if it suits us just based on results,” Williamson said. “We had a great time with Sarina. I think she’s an honorary Brit now, tho. In slang, she’s not up to scratch,” he joked.
“I think the English team wants to win. The best coach will always be appointed. I know there are many, we cross all the plans of the FA, especially the women’s game. I can’t speak for the men’s game. , but there are many opportunities for English coaches, and more and more opportunities that come up It’s not really the place to say the managers, but I know that we all have been very happy with Sarina.
Wiegman added: “I’m just very happy that I was appointed. I’ll give it my all. I’m sure that’s what Thomas Tuchel will do as well. , and I hope he will be successful for England.”
