The winner takes it all but Leah Williamson won't ‘banish Abba' for Sweden clash

South Wales Guardian

a day ago

The Swedish band's 'Does Your Mother Know' became a key track on the Williamson-curated dressing room playlist during England's triumphant Euro 2022 campaign, where they beat Sweden 4-0 in the last four – a defeat made 'easier to bear' by the use of the song, according to Abba's own Bjorn Ulvaeus.
It was a closer affair when they met in the qualifiers for this tournament, drawing twice, including the goalless July 2024 stalemate that was enough for England to book a direct place in the finals.
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Hearing some Swedish fans had claimed Abba were better than the Beatles, and therefore Sweden would beat England, Williamson replied: 'I don't (agree with that) I'm afraid. One might be easier to dance to, but no.
'I don't think that will be on the playlist, but it worked in 2022 so I don't want to banish Abba completely.'
The England centre-back is gearing up for a battle with Arsenal team-mate Stina Blackstenius.
In May, the Swedish forward struck in the winning goal in Lisbon, where the Gunners lifted the Champions League trophy with a 1-0 victory over heavy favourites Barcelona.
Blackstenius has already contributed two goals at these Euros for Group C winners Sweden, but is just one of the threats on what Williamson feels is a 'very organised team' that 'work for each other' and 'deserve a bit more recognition'.
'Stina is an incredibly powerful footballer,' said Williamson. 'I think she's very intelligent with her runs, she's a hard player to play against in that respect. I was celebrating her success at Arsenal, and not so much now.
'So we'll see, but she's a great player and she has been for many years now, so her experience speaks for itself.'
Despite their familiarity, an international tournament is a rare chance for the club-mates to properly battle it out.
'It's different,' explained Williamson. 'Obviously playing against each other in training (it's) maybe in a drill with restrictions, but it's very rare that I'll play against her in this setting.
'So I enjoy it. I like Stina, so it's tough to just remove all that to then just go at it, and you don't want to focus too much (on it).
'There's loads of different things that come into play when you play against a team-mate, but I think I've know Stina long enough now that it's kind of fun.
'I know who she is, and it's time for us to focus on us.'
Williamson captained England to the trophy at Wembley in 2022 but missed the World Cup after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in April 2023, just months before the tournament.
She added: 'I was part of that squad, and I will forever be proud to have been part of that squad, but we don't want it to be the only one.
'It's a constant driver. 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 ever felt, and that probably would have been enough for me, but the next day it creeps around and everybody wants more all the time.'