Within a few minutes of sitting down and talking to Leah Williamson, you begin to understand why she’s been given the job. Her mum, she says, describes her as “aggressive” – for the record, she prefers “assertive” – and her team-mate Jill Scott calls her “cold and unemotional”.
But today Williamson is friendly, warm and funny. It’s perhaps no coincidence she uses the word “balance” a lot as we chat, because Williamson seems to be the epitome of it – astute, level-headed, honest and – perhaps most importantly – authentic. She’ll need that and more as she prepares to lead the Lionesses in what could be a defining few months in hers and her team-mates’ lives.
In the absence of an injured Steph Houghton – who is now fit and back in the squad – manager Sarina Wiegman turned to Williamson to captain England. The Arsenal player has never started at a major tournament and doesn’t captain her club, but Wiegman has been impressed with the progression of Williamson over the years, both physically and mentally. The manager says of her skipper: “She’s herself and she won’t be a different person when she wears the armband.”
A memorable first meeting between Williamson and Wiegman may also have shaped the manager’s decision. Williamson describes her relationship with Weigman as “very honest”. Recounting the first time they met, the defender said: “I didn’t hold back, I said it how it was. I shocked myself.”
Williamson talks about being hypercritical of herself. She wants to set the standard and tap into the expertise of someone who has led their team to glory at a home Euros, as Wiegman did with the Netherlands in 2017.
“She has an aura, she knows what she is talking about,” says Williamson. “She makes me nervous and edgy. I want to impress her, which makes me strive for more.
“We talked about where we want to go and what we want to be. We haven’t found the right balance as a team and we want to put everything into something.”
The ‘balance’ word again. Williamson and her squad talk about how lucky they are to play in a home tournament given how much the women’s game has developed. They know the pressure that will bring but the captain is determined to “figure out the balance” within the squad, while also enjoying the experience.
Williamson’s ability to compartmentalise has certainly helped strike that equilibrium in the past. She loves football, she says, because she’s able to pick it up where she left it off the previous day.
“I have always seen that as a strength to park it,” Williamson explains. “I am lucky I have always played for a team near my family who I am really close to. Some girls move across the world and you are by yourself so how do you switch off from football?
“I do wonder, though, if there is an edge to being switched on. Am I missing something? I would never force it – I would just go with how I feel. It feels right now. If you really think about it, in the time you don’t touch the pitch, you don’t get worse. I have seen more negative effects of being too consumed.”
Having a packed social diary with plenty of interests outside of football certainly helps the harmony in Williamson’s life. She used her break after the Women’s Super League season…
Read More: Leah Williamson exclusive: England Women’s captain preparing to lead country