Can the return of Leah Williamson help Arsenal challenge for the WSL title?
Nine months on from suffering an ACL injury, England captain made her return to the field as Arsenal beat Reading in the Conti Cup. Could her return be the catalyst for the Gunners' title hopes?
Football
In 2022, Leah Williamson was on the top of the world having captained England to European glory.
Less than one year later, her football season was over along with her World Cup hopes.
The Arsenal defender suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury 12 minutes into a Women’s Super League clash with Manchester United.
Looking at 6-9 months on the sidelines, Williamson was unsurprisingly torn up when the news was confirmed.
On the back of what she describes as some of her best football, everything stopped.
Fast forward to Janaury 2024, after being back on the grass since September of the previous year, the Gunners vice captain made her competitive return for the club.
Hot on the heels of league leaders Chelsea, could Williamson’s return be the catalyst for Arsenal’s title hopes?
LEIGH, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: Leah Williamson of Arsenal looks on while receiving medical treatment during the FA Women's Super League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Leigh Sports Village on April 19, 2023 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Williamson: "I was in pieces"
It is almost as though athlete’s have a sixth sense for these kinds of injuries - more often than not you can tell in their reaction whether or not it’s going to be a bad one.
When Williamson pulled up in the season run-in last year, away to Manchester United, she knew it was going to be the dreaded injury that plagues women’s football: ACL.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the defender recalls the aftermath when Arsenal physios confirmed her worst fears.
“I was in pieces,” she said. “I just cried. The journey back was horrendous.
“The irony is, after not the best year for me personally in life, that month beforehand was probably the best football I’d played in a long time and I was having so much fun - then that happens.”
A year on from captaining England to their first major trophy, Williamson’s hopes of representing her nation at the World Cup were gone.
She was one of 37 players to miss Australia & New Zealand 2023 because of the same injury, and the third - soon to be fourth - senior member of her club who suffered the same fate in the 2022/23 season.
For Leah, much of her energy was channeled into what she could do off the pitch just as much as things that would allow her to get back onto it - including learning how to play the piano!
“I said I wanted to do this because I wanted to put myself in a situation that was just really high-pressure and kind of provoke those emotions before I make my return to football,” she told the BBC, on playing the piano with the organisation's Concert Orchestra.
“I’ve always said that when I finished my injury, I wanted to look back and know that I did something and I’ve learned something, albeit crash course.”
It wouldn’t be much longer before Williamson would be swapping out her sheet music for tactical instructions, making her competitive return in January 2024.
READING, ENGLAND - JANUARY 24: Beth Mead of Arsenal and Leah Williamson of Arsenal prepare to come onto the pitch at substitutes during the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup match between Reading and Arsenal at Select Car Leasing Stadium on January 24, 2024 in Reading, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
What does Williamson's return mean for Arsenal's title hopes?
On Wednesday, 24 January, the moment Arsenal’s vice captain had been waiting for finally came: her return to the pitch.
In a league cup clash with Championship side Reading, their vice captain stepped onto the pitch as a second half substitute.
If there were any doubts Williamson would return as the same player, they were soon dispelled as she pinged an outrageous ball over the top into team-mate Beth Mead, who volleyed home a thumping effort.
“If you were worried, you can stop being worried,” said Gunners manager Jonas Eidevall.
“The pass for Beth Mead’s goal is almost as good as the finish is. She has definitely still got it.”
While she remained an unused substitute in their Women’s Super League victory over Liverpool on Sunday, 28 January, it won’t be long before she makes a WSL comeback.
What will that mean for Arsenal’s title charge?
The North London club currently sit third in the WSL, albeit on goal difference, level on points with Manchester City. The two of whom, are chasing reigning champions Chelsea who lead the way by three points.
Strengthening in the summer has allowed them to start the season positively, but it is the reinforcements at the back that will really help them maintain this form when it counts.
In 11 WSL games, the Gunners have had eight different variations of their back four due to injuries or tactical switches, particularly in the central pairing. The return of Williamson will bring much needed stability, along with the signing of Emily Fox, to give Eidevall a chance to work with his best defensive unit ahead of the season run-in.
It is not a stretch to say she is among the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world, something Arsenal's playing style helps her relish in. As evidenced above, she has excellent vision to get the ball forward but also reads the game very well and brings calm and poise to the defence.
Not only is the Gunner’s no.6 a sublime player, but she is also a much needed leader, hence her wielding the vice captain’s armband for the club.
She also knows what it takes to win the WSL title, which will be undeniably beneficial for the newcomers to the team.
The return of players like Vivianne Miedema and Mead from long-term injuries are also going to play a key role in Arsenal’s title challenge, but the return of Williamson could very well be the difference between second or third place and spoiling Emma Hayes’s farewell season for rivals Chelsea.