How does it feel to go into your second Euros as manager of the reigning champions?

It’s really exciting. I cherish those moments: being European champions with the Netherlands, being European champions with England and then reaching the final at the World Cup with both the Netherlands and England. I feel very privileged to have been a part of it. But you can’t stand still for too long, as the women’s game has changed so quickly. Right now, we’ve got some Nations League games ahead of us, which is exciting. We’re in a very challenging world at the moment, so we’re just going to do everything to be at our best and win as many games as possible.

What will you be working on with the Lionesses over the next couple of months?

Qualifying for the Euros last July gave us the opportunity to play four friendlies in October, November and December, which allowed us to try out things in our style of play against a variety of different top opponents and play many different players to see how they connect on the pitch and manage the load. Now, we’re going into the Nations League period, where we have to win games – success here is not only good preparation for the Euros but puts us in the best possible position to qualify for the World Cup in 2027 too. Of course, we’ll make sure to leave no stone unturned before we play our first Euros group game on 5 July against France. It’s going to be a tough tournament. We’ll be looking at individual development; we have some very experienced players in the squad, but we also have players who have never been to a major tournament, so we want to make sure everyone knows what to expect. Developing our style of play and helping individuals to progress on the pitch is important, so we can be ready for the six games we have in the upcoming months before the Euros. Ultimately, my focus is on bringing the team together; I believe that building connections on and off the pitch and helping the team bond will make a difference.

“We’re going to do everything to be at our best”: England manager Sarina Wiegman on Euros prep and her number one focus