Q:

As you know, I have been coaching football for more than 25 years and I was also responsible for the book "Brazil Way To Play Soccer" which I co-wrote with the great Pele. I have been to seven FIFA World Cups as part of a Technical Study Group under FIFA. And I was also involved in a lot of Technical Work with the Concacaf.

Q:

I was a coach and technical director at Palmeiras and then Santos before I took up a position as the coach for Nagoya Grampus Eight in the early. Then I worked in Africa for several years under FIFA where I led TKC (Roger Milla's team) to win the Cameroon Cup. Before joining Myanmar, I was with the Oman youth team.

Q:

There's certainly a lot to be done and it is a big challenge of course. Even before I begin here, I know that I will enjoy my work in Myanmar because there's a lot of work ahead. In the several months that I've been here, I have been able to assess the situation and come up with a programme to prepare the team tactically, technically and mentally. But to begin with, I must admit that I was surprised with the level of the team.

Q:

Well, we got some good results in the Merdeka Tournament and we were playing against some hard teams. The Myanmar players have the talent and the heart but they need to put in a lot more work. It is important that we build on that positives from the Merdeka Tournament and look forward. We must always look forward. I know that it will not be easy work but it will be challenging for sure.

Q:

We had four good matches and it was a good experience to play against a team from Africa. They provided the team with a different playing style and condition and it will certainly go a long way to developing the players further as a unit.

Q:

We have analysed the programme and we need more structure for sure. There should be a steady flow of players from the Under-17 to the Under-20 and on from the Under-23 to the senior level. For the moment, there is no steady flow. There should also be less reliance on talent. Practice is everything and it is the same with world-class players. For the most part, it is all down to practice than anything else.

Q:

We have some talent but we need a lot of work and certainly, we need more games. If there were any real shortcomings at the Merdeka Tournament in 2007, it was that the players did not get enough exposure. They played a lot of games before the tournament – around 11 matches I believe - but it was all against local teams.

Q:

Certainly, otherwise we would have won the Merdeka Tournament. We beat Malaysia in the group stage but the players failed in the final because of the lack of exposure to big match temperament. They just did not have that edge. But I also know that it was hard to arrange friendly matches for Myanmar, so we just have look at other ways to improve the team.

Q:

Perhaps, we can play abroad instead of in Myanmar or we could come weeks earlier before the start of a tournament. But whatever it is, we have to find a solution to this dilemma. Otherwise, we will always suffer in the crunch.

Q:

I'm enjoying it. Every day is a new experience although for the moment, I'm stressing on the need to improve the physical and tactical aspect of the team which is paramount. Other than that, the Myanmar FA have been fabulous and my stay has been wonderful.

Q:

Football is in my blood and I come from the old school where I believe that talent is only so much and that players must realised the importance of hardwork. It is the same in Brazil as it is anywhere else. Only a few small percent of players have god given talent and they do not have to work so hard but for much of the rest of the players they have a lot to make up for. And the truth is that even among the very talented players, they still work hard in training. What more when your talent is really not much to begin with!