Carlo Ancelotti insisted he is not bothered by critics who say he is a man-manager rather than a more tactical coach.

The Italian has plenty of trophies to showcase, winning the Champions League a record five times as manager during spells with AC Milan (two) and Real Madrid (three).

Ancelotti has also won titles in each of Europe's top five leagues, doing so with Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The 66-year-old has now taken up his first head coach role at international level as he prepares to lead Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

According to the Opta supercomputer, Brazil have a 60.4% chance of topping their group, which features Morocco, Scotland and Haiti, while the Selecao have been given a 6.6% chance of winning the competition for the first time since 2002.

Ancelotti could become the third coach to win both the World Cup and Champions League/European Cup, after Marcello Lippi and Vicente del Bosque.

Ancelotti backed his knowledge as a tactician, but believes man-management is also an important part of the role.

"I don’t win titles just because of my relationship with the players," he told the Guardian.  

"The relationships I have with players help because it allows you to get the most out of the player. Sometimes even more than the maximum. But that is just one part of the game.

"It doesn’t matter to me whether people say I am or I am not a good tactician. All I can say is that I know all aspects of the game very well.

"A manager’s job is very difficult because you have to manage so many things. There’s the relationship with the players, with the club, with the press, with the fans.

"There are so many aspects of this job that you have to manage. The most challenging of those is the relationship with people – and it’s also the most important."