‘Everyone knows what it is like to lose and we don’t want to feel that again’ Leah Williamson speaks ahead of Rangers tie

Ahead of Arsenal’s UWCL first qualifying round match against Glasgow Rangers on Wednesday evening, Jonas Eidevall and Leah Williamson spoke to the media. You can read the full transcript of what Eidevall had to say here. This is a transcript of Leah Williamson’s Q&A. The question from Arseblog News is in italics.

On Arsenal increasing their level as a team and delivering more trophies…
We’ve obviously underperformed, so to speak. There’s been a number of teams at the top of the game, trying to take the trophies off each other but it doesn’t always go your way.

I don’t think we’ve been that far away, and I feel like we’re getting closer, I’m enjoying the way that we play. You (Jonas) say that you’re enjoying watching, I’m enjoying being part of it and seeing how we grow and take what we already had to the next level, because it does need to go up, but I don’t think that’s too far away.

On dealing with the pressure of an immediately difficult start to the season…
I think last year was a hurtful situation, we were left to regret that for the rest of the year, so everyone knows what it feels like to lose and nobody wants to feel that again, but one of the strengths of the team is the intensity that we play at. I think when pressure arrives, a lot of that pressure can be taken out by the way that you play and I’ve seen that on the training pitch, dealing with that transition from playing friendlies then into competitive football and the most competitive you can play is in knockout [football]. It’s been fun to watch, us as a team deal with that over the last week, a couple of weeks, but I think we’re ready. Everyone knows what it means there.

On having something approaching a proper pre-season for the first time since 2018…
Yeah, I can’t sit there and tell you it’s been the perfect off-season and preseason because it hasn’t. We’ve not been allowed that luxury for a long time and I never thought I’d wish for a real preseason where you’re made to run and you feel awful to be quite honest.

I’m trying to think of polite words to use to describe a normal preseason but I feel more prepared than I have done, way more prepared, than previous years and to be honest being back on the pitch personally is a win for me to be competing for my spot in the squad and then to compete for Arsenal in this stage. So, I feel good. I think a lot of the girls have had more time than they have done for a long time.

It’s not perfect if you’re going from a sports science point of view but we’ve had time, and we’ve had time as a team even to go on a preseason tour. It was a great opportunity for us and to be involved and not feel like you’re just rushing into everything. There’s been an element of preparation which we’ve done the best we can with.

On the expectation of getting into the Champions League…
I think it’s, if you go on paper then obviously you would expect us to be there, everybody expects us to be there. We expect that of ourselves. The occasions that the Emirates provides a stage for those occasions, I think is a great thing for women’s football but it’s not about that, it’s about who gets through, and who puts in the performance. We came up short last year, we’ve done it successfully previously, and as a club of this stature and this investment that they put into us, we should be there.

On how the group have made Mariona and Rosa Kafaji made welcome…

I think the most important thing is making them feel comfortable enough to bring what they’ve been brought here to bring. I can imagine it’s quite an intimidating environment just because there are so many of us who have been here so long now as well, and the team’s been quite stable for the last couple of years. So, you are the odd one out effectively.

We as people have a fantastic environment here so that doesn’t concern me, but on the pitch, it’s trying to get across how we do things and how we have done things, whilst also giving them enough room to showcase themselves, because they’ve been brought here as an addition to our team and it’s important that they feel comfortable to bring that out.

We’re not here to clone them into one of us or clip their wings. It’s exciting, that’s when I say it’s exciting to go out to training, because there are things that we haven’t had, but we have now in different ways. So it’s a very conscious effort, but it seems to be going well so far. So, touch wood, it continues that way.

On playing in front of our supporters at Meadow Park…

I’m so excited. I think my family’s more excited than me – they’ve missed it as well. But Boreham Wood, we’ve had some unbelievable Champions League nights there. I’ve got some great memories there as well. I think Arsenal fans right now – it’s incredible what they show up with every single game, even Southampton at the weekend. The support that we have is incredible and gives you a little taster of it.

So I’m excited to be back in front of them and share that with them again. We talk about going from friendlies to, all of a sudden, knock-out football and pressurized situations but I think as soon as you walk out, with the warm-up especially, and you hear them and you see them, we know what’s at stake. But ultimately, it’s at home, so there’s a huge benefit to that as well.

On the psychological importance of a proper pre-season…
It’s nice as a player when you can see where you’re at, and then you have time to put in place the things that you want to get to where you want to be. No one expects you to come back in at the start of preseason ready to compete. In previous years, I’ve not really had the luxury. It’s been a necessity to turn up and be exposed, basically in terms of going straight into games. So it’s been nice to actually not say, plan ahead. But what do I want to achieve in the season? Where do I need to be? And then trying to put it into work every day.

On the UWCL quarter-final win over Bayern Munich in 2023…
I remember me and Jonas nearly had an argument before that night even began! My expectations of playing centre-half for 90 minutes and midfield are very different – mainly talking about my lungs! That night of football was incredible. And the first time I think I felt the real magic of the Champions League. Overturning a 1-0 deficit, so many elements, Frida’s goal was incredible. There was so much about it and the first time, on a night like that, that many people had come out to watch us.

I remember it was raining, it was cold – all of those elements that don’t make football so fun. So I think that’s actually my core memory when I think about playing in the Champions League again. That’s the last game I played in the Champions League. So tomorrow night, regardless of the fact that was a quarter-final and this is a qualifier, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s Champions League football and I’m very excited to get back involved. And the opportunity of playing those knockout games, I think it’s special because it offers you those special moments if you’re on the right side of them.