EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, June 12 (Reuters) - Carlo Ancelotti has won almost everything European club football can offer, but the Brazil manager said even he still feels the old flutter of fear before the World Cup curtain goes up -- and is rather glad that he does.
Speaking to the media before Brazil's opening match against Morocco on Saturday, Ancelotti said nerves were not a weakness but a useful alarm bell, especially against a side who jolted the last World Cup by knocking out Spain and Portugal before losing to France in the semi-finals.
"Fear is an important part of life," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
"If you're not afraid and you're caught off guard, you might see a lion and think it's a cat.
"Fear can save your life; it's always good to be alert and focused so that your team plays a great game and isn't caught off guard."
CALM ITALIAN
The Italian, calm as ever but not pretending to be made of stone, said Brazil must be sharp from the start against one of Africa's strongest sides.
"I'm an optimist by nature and I'm very confident," he said. "We're well prepared to play a great game tomorrow and have a great World Cup.
"We need to put in a complete performance in every respect. In modern football, there are no minnows; Morocco is one of the best teams in Africa."
For Ancelotti, this is a fresh chapter after a remarkable club career in Europe, where he became the first manager to win titles in the continent's big five leagues and claimed a record five Champions League crowns as a coach, in addition to the two he won in Milan as a player.
Now he is trying to guide Brazil towards a long-awaited sixth World Cup title, a task he described as both a privilege and a burden.
"It's a new experience, but obviously a special one," he said.
"It means having the responsibility and the honour of representing the home of football, the most successful national team in the world. Two things: responsibility and honour."
Ancelotti said he wanted to embrace the occasion rather than be swallowed by it.
"I want to savour this moment with joy and happiness because it is a wonderful moment in my story," he said. "I feel great... I hope I can do the work needed to help this team succeed."
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond)
