Leah Williamson has said that England need to be “disciplined,” “clinical and ruthless” in order to defeat Sweden on Tuesday and qualify automatically for Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
The reigning champions are one game away from ensuring their place at the tournament next summer, as a win or a draw would guarantee them a top-two finishing in their qualifying group.
Williamson said that England will need to be defensively resolute and clinical in front of goal in order to beat Sweden, who sit three points behind England in third place.
“I think [Sweden] have threats, different types of threats,” the England captain told a news conference in Gothenburg on Monday.
“They play some lovely football. They also have goalscoring threats. I think they’re a very defensively secure team and the group’s been together for a long time. So I think it takes us to be disciplined.
“I think it takes us to be clinical and ruthless and I think obviously we are coming out there to play the style of football that we think is effective and we think that we are fairly good at. So I think if we deliver that game plan then it’ll be an exciting game. But hopefully we come out on top.”
England have received criticism for their lack of goalscoring during the qualifying round, alongside conceding needless goals.
On Friday, England beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 while Sweden fell to group leaders France who have already qualified.
Manager Sarina Wiegman described the goal England conceded at Carrow Road as “sloppy” following Friday’s game.
England have scored eight goals in their five games — the most of the four teams in their group — but have conceded five, second to Ireland’s nine conceded.
“I think in all of the games that we’ve played, we have had the opportunity to score a lot more, which then makes those moments that get a bit nervy, not so nervy,” the captain continued.
“I think that’s when sloppiness can come in, whether it’s sloppiness or pressurised situations, but also, I don’t mean it’s a lack of concentration or trying from our part, I think it’s just the way the games have gone. I think we could have put them to bed a lot earlier.
“Friday night was another example of that. We should have scored more goals than we had the opportunity to score more in the first half. Whether or not that stops us conceding, who knows? But yeah, obviously, then one in two, one sounds a lot closer than maybe we would’ve liked with how we dominated the game.”
Williamson added that booking an automatic place in the tournament is “really important” to England as it allows the team more time to prepare to defend their crown.
With England sitting in second, three points ahead of Sweden, a win or a draw would see the team avoid entering the playoffs scheduled for the Autumn. If they lose to Sweden and their opponents overturn the goal difference, the two sides will need to face off in a two-legged playoff to reach the Euros.
Wiegman insisted that the team will not play for a draw and will seek to win the game, and potentially the group.
“We’re never playing a match to draw. We play a match to win,” Wiegman said. “When we win the game we might even top the group too. We are dependent on France and everyone expects France to win, but you never know what happens in football. So we are approaching this game to win and then we’ll see what happens the game and what we need to do.”
On Sunday, the Lionesses’ male counterparts fell to an agonising 2-1 defeat in the Euro 2024 final to Spain in Berlin. The Lionesses lost the World Cup final to Spain in 2023 after lifting the Euros trophy in 2022.
Williamson extended her appreciation for Gareth Southgate’s team insisting that “we are one England” and that success will come for the men’s side.
“[I’m] devastated for them, especially knowing some of them personally as well,” Williamson said. “I think what Gareth and his team have done over the last three, four years reaching finals and bringing that dream closer to reality. I think we are very lucky as fans of England men’s and women’s to be in the position that we’re in.
“I think we spoke heading into the Euros that, as a women’s side and in our own history, we hadn’t ever won anything. And the World Cup in ’66 is the only thing that we’d done across either. So, I think it’s obviously important to recognise your peers, which is what I see them as.
“They came in before the Euros, they shared experience with us about their experiences ahead of our campaign and helping us anyway which they can, and we would do the same for them, so it really is one England over here.
“The final result obviously in four finals, one trophy has actually landed back in England. And that’s for both of us to keep striving for more. For us as a country, I think we’ve been blessed with incredible tournaments and when those wins come, which I do believe they will, then they’ll be even sweeter.”
When asked if Southgate should remain in his post following the loss at the final, Wiegman replied: “I have a very good relationship with him, but that’s something for him to reflect on and to have this conversation with the right people. That’s absolutely not for me.”
