“Finally, I am talking to you all”.

This is how national chief coach Jose Brasa started his press briefing today at the Le Merridean Hotel.

“I am happy today, as I am finally talking to you all. Permission to talk to you hasn’t come yet, hope I survive this”, he said in his opening remarks.

Keeping cool and a sense of humour all around, Brasa talked about wide range of subjects.

But the message he unmistakably sent was, his willingness to take on the establishment who did not like his forthright, frank, no nonsense approach to the issues concerning the team.

He also mentioned that as quick as two months after taking up the job, he knew he can be removed from the job any time. This he said when querried whether he will be removed as chief coach if India does not do well at the home world cup.

“We have to keep our feet on the ground, and try to understand where we stand. Our aim is semifinal, our pool is strong, and we will do our best to achieve that.

On any day, a weak team can defeat a strong team, a best team can lose to an underdog. We have to be focused, do our best”.

Since I took over, I have been having a nice time, learning lot from the country. I continued to be a student here”

He emphatically said that all the controversies that surrounded the team in the recent past are past, and the team now is focusing on the job on hand, World Cup.
The team is very strong, these things do not affect. Its only speculation that the these things would affect the performance, and this speculation need not be exactly correct.

However, I request the media to extend co-operation, as you have some goals, we have our world cup goals, let the players focus on that, and hopefully you won’t call a player on wrong time, and disturb him, after all he has to deliver.

“I know the media also wants India to win”, he quipped.
Touching on the changes he brought in the team, he said physical fitness, tactics are prime areas of concern he sought to address.

The team is bit more fit than it was previously; we improved on the man to man marking.

Tactically, we use maximum width of the ground now”, he explained.
Brasa is happy he has three players to negotiate the penalty corners, and its an asset.
Sandeep Singh, with his strong flicks, is the world’s best”, he opined.

He refused to add political colour to the India-Pak match. “Sports is the only way to say the politicians that it it unites people, and as far as I know, our players and staff have very good relationship with the players and staff of Pakistan, for us it’s another game”.
Speaking on the crowd he said, “yes, they will be supporting us. It will be with us, helping us lot people are much more civilized than what we presume to be”

He at one point of time regretted that he could not see any domestic tournaments so as to pick up talents.

On lighter vein he said, “yes, even some of you can introduce talented players to me for trying out”.