Let's emulate the Brazil greats, says Dunga

Dunga – appointed as Luiz Felipe Scolari's successor last month – has been tasked with reviving the fortunes of a Brazil side in desperate need of a morale boost.

Hosts of this year's World Cup, Brazil were embarrassed in a humiliating 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany.

The nation finished fourth and widespread disappointment followed their lacklustre exit, but Dunga – who named a new-look Brazil squad on Tuesday – is hoping to oversee a successful new era.

Brazil won every game they played at the 1970 World Cup to be crowned world champions for the third time in four tournaments.

Dunga told Perform: "Our first goal is to recover confidence from the Brazilian supporters, then we'll think on the World Cup qualifying - that is really difficult.

"We have to work really hard to make up for the lost time. We can only recover confidence by winning matches, showing good football, hard work, determination and recognizing our mistakes in order to do better.

"We want to build a competitive team who can play modern football like everyone else -everybody defending and attacking with the technical quality of Brazilian players.

"The 1970s team for me is the model. It's a team that captivated everyone in the world.

"It also inspired the following generations in Brazil. It was a privilege to see that team playing and it was a great incentive for younger players."

The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Filipe Luis headlined Dunga's first squad, selected for friendlies against Colombia and Ecuador next month.

Neither friendly is being played in Brazil, though – the United States will host both fixtures – as Dunga hopes to fine-tune his side before their competitive return to the nation.

And while Dunga recognises the pressure on his side when they begin playing in Brazil again, he has earmarked forward Neymar to lead the country's next generation.

"We always want to win, especially playing at home," he added.

"The pressure and the responsibility are always huge but we have the capacity to solve this problem.

"Neymar is a huge star in Brazilian football and world football.

"All young players have him as a role model, so his participation will be very important to us. He'll be the inspiration to the other players."

Dunga also said that the World Cup could only be judged as a "success" for Brazil, despite their sloppy finish to the tournament.

"The World Cup was a success because we received people from all over the world in in the best way we could," he continued.

"Of course we'd be glad if we won it but that's football.

"The most important thing was that Brazil has shown the world we have the capacity to host a big event like this."

Brazil's first friendly is against Colombia on September 5 in Florida.