“We still have areas where we know we need to improve”
indo-asian news service
Rio de Janeiro, 1 July
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari says his team are not yet the favourites to win next year’s football World Cup despite their comprehensive 3-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup final.
Victory in the World Cup warm-up tournament here on Sunday guarantees Brazil will rise sharply from their current position of No 22 when the next Fifa rankings are announced.
"The result gives us great confidence, because it shows we can match the best teams in the world. But we still have areas where we know we need to improve," Scolari said during his post-match Press conference at the Maracana.
"We have beaten France, Uruguay, Italy and Spain in the past month, all previous World Cup-winners. But there are other teams who we are yet to play like Germany and Argentina that are going to be very tough to be beat."
Scolari did not rule out the possible return of veterans Kaka and Ronaldinho at next year’s World Cup, despite the pair having been overlooked for the Confederations Cup.
"The door is always open for great players," the 64-year-old said. "We will look at all of our players in Europe and the rest of the world over the next year. They will be well received if and when we call on them. The team is open to all."
Golden ball
Neymar has been awarded the Golden Ball trophy for the best player in the  Confederations Cup.
Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta was named runner-up and Brazil’s Paulinho, third. Neymar becomes the fourth Brazilian to win the award after Denilson (1997), Ronaldinho (1999) and Kaka (2009).
The Golden Boot award went to Fernando Torres with five goals, including four in Spain’s 10-0 victory over Tahiti.
Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar won the Golden Glove, having conceded just three goals from five matches.
Meanwhile, Vicente del Bosque called his team’s resounding 3-0 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final a "deserved defeat."Del Bosque sought to play down Sunday’s lop-sided match, saying the World Cup winners and two-time defending European champions might benefit from the loss in front of a partisan Brazilian crowd of 73,000 at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium. The loss left Spain without the only major title it has failed to win in a five-year span in which it has dominated the game.
"Once in a while it is convenient to lose because we don’t think we are unbeatable," Del Bosque said.