Put simply there are two fixtures that every Arsenal fan searches for when the schedule comes out, first, when are we playing Tottenham away? And secondly, when are we playing them at home? Arsenal fan and vice captain Leah Williamson is no different.
The derby is one of the biggest fixtures in the footballing calendar even if the red side of North London has historically dominated. With that day at the Emirates fast approaching The Halfway Line had the opportunity to sit down with Williamson to talk the North London derby and more…
Williamson ‘excited at the prospect’ of a North London derby in front of Emirates crowd
On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal and Tottenham will renew their rivalry at the Emirates Stadium. Both sides have taken six points from three games since the restart after the winter break but as the old saying goes, the form book goes out the window on derby day.
The history of the North London derby is a storied one, the latest chapter was a 3-0 win for Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the next will be written this weekend. With 50,000 seats already sold Williamson was asked about the growth of the women’s game and the North London derby, she replied:
“It’s incredible, and it makes you excited. I’m terrible. I don’t know kick off times” she joked to laughter in the room, “I don’t, you know I’ll figure that out tomorrow. And I don’t really know who we’re playing (most weeks), you know, it’s more I’ve just always been that way.”
Williamson’s face hardened as she continued: “But I know that we’re playing Spurs at the Emirates on the 16th of Feb, because I’m excited about the prospect of what that game is. I want to play in that game. I want to be in front of that crowd. I want to hear North London forever. You know what I mean? Like with that many people singing, it is special. So for a player it’s 100% a draw, and you get excited to go and play away when a team has great fans, you know, you look at the Champions League and City when they had Hammarby and you look at that, that’s quality, you know, that’s what you want to be in. So, yeah, I think for those of us that have had 200 people and 500 people [spectating] it doesn’t go unnoticed. So I appreciate it.”
Williamson says ‘the girls have a voice’ under Slegers
The Halfway Line asked the Arsenal vice-captain if she and captain Kim Little work with Renée Slegers and are actively involved in suggesting tactical changes or to try out new things on the training pitch. Williamson replied:
“I think the way that Renée [Slegers] and Aaron [D’Antino] especially, – Aaron’s been here a long time – and I mean it does my head in sometimes, that you can imagine but he’s the guy that [when he] asks you a question, he’ll lead you to the answer, but he’s not necessarily going to give it to you. And I feel like that’s been a consistent still with both of them. So I feel like we’ve had a voice constantly in terms of what we want, and we all agree on the same way that we want to play.”
Instilling a problem solving mindset into her players has certainly been a feature of Slegers’ reign and Arsenal have reaped the rewards since, Williamson continued:
“You know, everyone’s invested, and that’s their decision, structurally. But I think the girls have a voice, it’s not just me and Kim. I’m sure those conversations happen with most players, which is great. I think that’s a sign of a healthy team as well. And then ultimately you get to a game, and the manager picks how you’re going to play. But in those sessions, we do a lot of internal stuff as well, like playing against each other.”
But how about her manager, Slegers, does she like to get involved during training? That very question was put to Williamson who answered with a glint in her eye, she laughed, “Yeah, I love it when she’s in my rondo square, because she ends up in the middle!”
She continued, “I think it’s good. I don’t know what Renee was like as a player but I think having a coach, it’s just a really nice way of engaging it’s not necessary, obviously, but if you can engage with your team in that way, you know, they also brings, an element of calm. I know that on match days they all her, Kelly [Smith], kick a ball about together in the warm up and stuff. I’ve seen them a couple of times, just brings an element of calmness to everything.”
Williamson followed on, “But, yeah, she does get involved, which I think is good. It just sort of shows, it’s a demonstration of what we’ve all sort of achieved, that she’s also a player, and she’s now in that position. But I think having her, Kelly on the coaching staff, for example Jody [Taylor] joins in you know, it’s cool.”
‘When you’re moving in the right direction everyone wants to be part of it’ affirms Williamson
In recent times, Arsenal’s men’s side have looked a different prospect under Mikel Arteta, one capable of challenging for major honours. Of course both the men and women share the same training facilities and now ground all under the club’s efforts to apply a one club mentality.
The Halfway Line got the opportunity to ask Williamson if the women’s side feel it and benefit from being around the training ground when the men’s side are succeeding and vice-versa, she responded:
“Yeah, I notice it. I think the last couple of years, there’s been a shift, just as a club in general, and that’s when I put my employee hat on. It’s a good environment. It’s a nice place to come to work. Everybody is not necessarily winning, you know it’s inevitable setbacks come. But when you feel like you’re moving in a direction everybody wants to be part of it, men’s and women’s.”
Williamson continued: “We feel when they’re performing, and we’re performing, I feel like that also generates around the fans in the stadiums, because you’re proud to be a part [of the club]. You know, we go out to make people proud to be a fan of our club.”
Williamson grateful for Slegers’ influence helping her to a ‘perfectly charged mentality’
Williamson made her Arsenal debut in 2014 and has featured every season since racking up over 200 appearances for the Gunners. As such a central member of the team for such a long time, what has Williamson learnt from Slegers since the former Dutch international has been in charge? The Lionesses captain noted:
“The biggest impact she’s had is on… I’d say my mentality and finding that sort of, I’m gonna struggle for the word here, like, not the sweet spot, but like being perfectly charged. Let’s put it that way. I feel like before, we used to have a misunderstanding of my passion and the impact it had on people around me. The impact had on my performance. She’s, I appreciate it, because I feel like she’s looked at me, she’s seen me, and she’s critical of me but in a good way. So yeah, I think the biggest impact I can say is more about the mentality and my role.”
When asked to elaborate about what it means for her mentality to be ‘perfectly charged’, Williamson reflected:
“When you play for a club that you support, and it’s the same playing for your country. Naturally, you support them in a close way. There’s so much emotion that I play with, and I love it, and I, you know, that’s why I play football. If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t play. But there’s a, there’s a this sort of, yeah, this sweet spot where you’re getting the most out of your football and when you need to do something, you can do it, and you have the energy to do it, but you’re not draining yourself of unnecessary emotion from being a fan essentially.”
Williamson continued: “I suppose we all go and watch our football teams play, and you’re tired when you get home because you’ve given so much, you didn’t do nothing, you sat in the stand.” She laughed, continuing: “So I think that I have to really try and separate from it. And you know, maybe other people will think that’s silly, or other people don’t feel it, but that’s the way I’ve been brought up. If you’re going to do something, do it properly, care about it, protect it. But there’s only so much of that you can do whilst trying to just be a footballer. And there’s a time when I just want to go out on the pitch and enjoy playing football and being a footballer. And I think she’s helped me get back to that a lot actually.”
Williamson ‘proud’ to be at Arsenal
The growth of the women’s game in the UK has been exponential in the past few years, since England’s EURO 2022 victory the popularity of women’s football has gone from strength to strength, with record crowds followed by major TV deals. Williamson was asked for her thoughts on the game and how it has developed, she thoughtfully responded:
“It’s been crazy. I don’t think anybody could have predicted it or not at the rate at which it’s happened. I’m very proud to be at Arsenal. I think the way that they’ve handled the changes and the support that they’ve given to us, like I say, there’s things to learn from. I’m not pretending that it’s perfect. It’s not. But I think we’re very lucky with the people that we have in place in the hierarchy of the club, and how they’ve managed our transition, like as an individual club and then amongst the transition of the whole women’s game.”
She continued: “I think it’s great for us to see, because I think and correct me if I’m wrong. But you look at the US when I was a kid, that league would blow up, and then it would fold, and there was never any sustainability to it. And I feel like I’m just glad that I don’t fear that at the minute, which is great for the game, but I think the most exciting is yet to come. And obviously Arsenal playing 11 games at the Emirates is fantastic, but we want there’s no point us doing it if other teams aren’t. And I think other teams are also doing an amazing job as well. So even you go down to, you know, Bristol City in the Championship and the crowds that they put in. As an example, I know that there’s more out there. So the standards can be a lot higher across the game, but I’m happy with how we’ve been treated at this club, and you’re never going to get it perfect, because tomorrow is a complete unknown. I mean no one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, next month, next year.”
She continued: “But yeah, obviously, as an England team, also, we have a great responsibility of growing that. And what it did for women’s football in general, the Euro 2022 win is why people still keep talking about it, because it wouldn’t have maybe happened in the way it has, if that didn’t [happen]. So I’m very I’m grateful to be a part of this generation. I’ve seen both sides.”
Williamson’s Arsenal side face Tottenham this Sunday knowing that a win could take them to second place in the Barclays Women’s Super League table.
