Leah Williamson: “Sweden deserves a little bit more recognition” ahead of quarter-final clash | OneFootball

England Captain Leah Williamson has suggested that England’s next Euro 2025 opponents Sweden are not to be underestimated ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final tie.

“We [as a team] spoke [about] the history. Sweden’s previous results of tournaments are incredible. They’re relentless when it comes to tournament football. We’ve been looking. They’re a very organised team. They work hard. Obviously some familiar faces, we know their characteristics. So it will be a tough game,” she said.

“When you have a team that work for each other like Sweden, you don’t necessarily have to have a crazy standout threat here or here because everybody plays their role. They are hard to prepare for in that sense and I say the discipline they want to complete their job on the pitch makes them a dangerous side.”

“Sweden deserves a little bit more recognition.”

Williamson is a teammate of Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius at Arsenal. They have played together for years, and the England skipper had high praise for the striker.

“Stina is an incredibly powerful footballer and I think she’s very intelligent with her run. She is a hard player to play against in that respect and she helps celebrate her success at Arsenal not so much now so we’ll see. She’s a great player and she has been for many years now so her experience speaks for itself,” she said.

According to Williamson, the mood in the England camp has been great so far: “It’s a good mood in the camp, we’ve had some really nice moments where we’ve brought family in and amongst it as well. It’s obviously very different, I know I wasn’t in Australia but you go back to the 2022 we were in London, it was a very different set up and everybody’s made a lot of effort to come out here so it’s been really lovely to have moments where we’ve come together like that and it makes a big difference when you’re away from home. At the end of the day we’re just human beings and we’re here for a job but we are away for a long time. So yeah, it’s been lovely.”

On Sarina Wiegman, she added: “She is a winner. She likes to win. She’s very competitive. She just has that kind of edge to her. We spoke about it in 2022, she obviously took us to the final. So bringing that mentality on board and covering it with the football. But I think she works well with the team around her and she empowers us. Which is important, especially coming from a woman and sort of having that bond throughout football. She sees us, gives us space to be ourselves and encourages us to be better, in a positive way.

“The English are known for having a certain type of mentality and a fight about us. Historically maybe quite a defensive team and she, I remember one of the first things she ever said, was just slow down you all want to work so hard but just focus on the football. So I think that’s probably the biggest influence I’d say and the change in the team since she’s been in charge.”

The England Captain lifted the Euros trophy in 2022, writing history while she did it. And this tournament, if England go all the way, there is the possibility of her lifting the trophy for a second consecutive time, again, writing history.

“I think it drives that, because of the mentality of the team and we’re all in the same boat. That’s what drives me, to do it alongside the team in 2022 was special. I was part of that squad and I’ll be forever proud to have been part of that squad, but we don’t want it to be the only one. So naturally it’s a constant drive. You want to do more. You always want to do more. And I’d like to say that on that day I felt as happy as I’d ever felt and that probably would have been enough for me,” she said.

“But the next day it creeps around and everybody wants more all the time. Obviously I wasn’t in Australia, and that level of being so close and constantly feeling like we have the potential and trying to get it out of ourselves. I think that’s why we always say about how we’ll work as hard as we can and we’ll do everything we can and we keep our dreams sort of up there but on a day-to-day basis maybe very English thing to say, but very much removed from thoughts.”

Sweden have a lot of height in their squad, and aerial battles and set pieces will be crucial.

“One of their main strengths, that comes with discipline. They’re great athletes, they produce great athletes as a country. We are too, so it’s a good battle in that sense, [it’s] definitely something that we have to be prepared for,” Williamson said.

“[Sweden] hold a lot of experience in the team. Even Stina [Blackstenius], we’re similar in age, but she has a lot more experience than me. something that we respect and I think the examples that we have of it in our team, Lucy [Bronze] and Alex [Greenwood], I think we lean on them as much as we can in certain moments and I think they’re fantastic role models for the rest of us that haven’t necessarily walked in their shoes. But no, it’s always a benefit I think for a team to have that and Sweden do but I think we have a very mature team and I think Like you said, maybe that experience has just come a lot quicker for a lot of our players. But it’s all in the bank, so you hope that it pays off.”

On watching the games, she spoke on considering every team a potential future foe: “I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily sitting, we don’t take our notepads, but you can’t switch off from it and everybody’s a potential opponent at some point, so you’re watching with one eye on that and also you know so many different people, you know there’s so many elements to it.

“I’ve really enjoyed watching Switzerland. Obviously my best friend [Lia Wälti] plays with them, but having been part of the home tournament and knowing what it means and to see everything happening and for the tournament as a whole, them getting through was a fantastic thing. You know, we speak of the wins for women’s football, that felt like one of those,” she concluded.

England will face Sweden in their quarter-final on Thursday, in Zürich at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT], in Stadion Letzigrund. If they win this, they will face either Norway or Italy in the semi-final in Geneva on Tuesday 22 July at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT].