Sarina Wiegman believes England's 'incredible' commitment and communication has helped the Lionesses grow as they continue their preparations for this summer's European Championship.
The Lionesses are undefeated under Wiegman since she took over as head coach last September and have already lifted their first piece of silverware under the 52-year-old, winning the Arnold Clark Cup in February.
Wiegman says the England team are working well in the lead up to the Euros
England have looked to control matches with a more possession-based style of football under Wiegman and it is certainly having the desired effect, with the Lionesses scoring plenty of goals as the countdown for the Euros on home turf continues this summer.
Wiegman knows what it takes to win a major trophy - having won the tournament with the Netherlands back in 2017 – and has been delighted with England's progress so far.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Wiegman said: "What I really have noticed is that the willingness and the commitment of this team is just incredible. It has been such a joy to work with this team.
"What we have started to create is an environment where we have really high performance and high demanding standards but also respect for each other.
"Every player and every human being is unique and we have to get to know each other better on and off the pitch and communication is a big part of that.
"We have to communicate with each other at all times [including] when it is easy but also when it is hard [both] on and off the pitch because then you get to understand each other better and then players start to speak up more and take their responsibility and when we speak up and we get discussions about the game or team development, then we grow.
"That's what I have seen change a lot, [in terms of] feeling confident to say what you think and that being beneficial for the team. Of course, we direct, as technical staff, how we want to play but we want the opinions of players and [it's important] to know how they feel.
"When we are in training sessions, they are really competing because they all want to make the team and want to make the starting line-up. But when we go into a game, we have to be really supportive. All these things together [means that] I think we've grown a lot and hopefully, we can show that in our next friendlies in preparation for the Euros.
"This year's Euros is going to be the biggest women's event in Europe ever. Already more tickets have been sold than there were for the Euros in 2017. Our group stage matches are sold out, too.
"So, we know it is going to be just an incredible tournament and we are really looking forward to it. We know it's going to have a big impact on the game here in England, but also in Europe and worldwide."
All 87,200 tickets have been sold for the Euro final at Wembley, breaking the attendance record for a women's football game in England
Wiegman was speaking to talkSPORT as part of Nationwide Building Society's 'Where Greatness is Made' campaign in partnership with the FA, which celebrates six captains from the Lionesses over the last 50 years.
Coincidentally, Leah Williamson has recently taken over from Steph Houghton as England's new captain and Wiegman hailed the Arsenal star's humility.
"What I see in Leah at the moment is that she's playing really well," Wiegman says.
"You have to perform first, as that's what brings us together. Then you are a leader in the team. I think we have lots of leaders in our team [who] are in different stages of their careers.
Arsenal midfielder Williamson was appointed as captain following doubts surrounding Houghton's ability to recover from her long-term injury for the tournament
"I think she's very grounded and has a really good connection within the team and that kind of connection with the staff, too. More players have that role, but she does that really well."
Wiegman is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the women's game and has been a real trailblazer for women worldwide.
Growing up in Holland, women were banned from playing football, so Wiegman had to cut her hair short so she could pretend to be a boy and ended up joining her twin brother's team.
Despite those early obstacles, Wiegman went on to have a successful playing career as a midfielder and became the first woman to earn over 100 caps for her country.
The Netherlands-born manager took over from former Lionesses boss Phil Neville last year
She then became just the third Dutch women to obtain the UEFA B Licence and the first women in her homeland to coach a men's side when she spent a season working with Sparta Rotterdam's first team in 2016.
It has been a journey of many challenges for the 52-year-old - who looked up to former Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal as she embarked on a career in coaching - and says it is vital that young women now have role models to look up to.
"We need role models. We need examples and good examples that young kids and young boys can relate to. I think that makes a big difference and we are all role models and are examples and need to be aware of that, too," she finished.
"I started playing when I was around six or seven and when I was that age, which was a long time ago, girls were not allowed to play. So, I played illegally.
Wiegman is looking to secure England's first ever win at the European Championships
"I didn't have role models because when I was young, there were no women who were visible for me that I could see as a role model or as an example for me. I had male role models, not that I thought I could be them, but I just loved the sport so much and I loved watching them.
"As a kid, there were no opportunities for a women's coach. You were happy that you could just play and they accepted girls and women playing football. Those opportunities weren't there.
"I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a PE Teacher because I knew that was something you could become. When I got older, I went to do physical education studies and over the years, you could become a coach as a semi-professional.
"I got my degrees in coaching, too, and started being a PE Teacher and then the game developed so much, I could become a professional coach. So, I left my PE Teacher job and started a full-time coaching career."
To help the FA protect the values of the beautiful game and continue to make grassroots football a more respectful, inclusive and positive place for everyone, visit https://nationwide-signyoursupport.co.uk/ to sign your support for the Mutual Respect Grants fund.
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