Some players are consummate professionals who take their years of PR training to heart and never put their foots in their mouths when giving interviews. Philippe Coutinho is one such individual, who always manages to strike a balance of saying exactly the right thing at the right time in a way that even the most ardent miserablists can't take issue with.
This time out, Coutinho spoke with Liverpool FC's official magazine about being named to Brazil's squad for this summer's Copa América. Though he's only played six times for the Seleção since debuting in late 2010, he's been identified as having a future with the national set up now that Dunga is managing the team, and it's a chance Coutinho is eager to grab.
"It is a great opportunity for me and I am very happy to be called up for the Copa," Coutinho enthused. "Like every child, I dreamt of being selected for the national team and I hope that I will be able to make a contribution to the team’s success in the tournament.
"The other nations are very good as well and the Copa is always a very difficult competition to play in, but Brazil have very good players too and I am confident that we are going to do well."
Despite their poor showing at the 2014 World Cup that they hosted, Brazil are indeed a good team and Dunga has lots of options available to him that might end up keeping Coutinho from getting as many minutes as he'd like. But being named to the overall squad is the first step, and if Coutinho can continue in the form he was in over the course of the season for Liverpool, he'll make Dunga's team selections just that much harder.