Patrick Vieira says he will have "no excuses" as he adjusts to coaching in Major League Soccer and declared the play of his New York City FC side would be "aggressive."
The former Arsenal and Inter Milan star held his introductory news conference on Wednesday after being hired to take charge of NYCFC in November.
Non-American managers have often struggled to make their mark on the league, with the likes of Juan Carlos Osorio, Hans Backe and Aron Winter all leaving without capturing a title.
But Vieira says his partnership with club director Claudio Reyna has him well-prepared as he tries to lead NYCFC into the MLS playoffs for the first time.
"I think the most difficult challenge will be off-the-field ones," Vieira told ESPN FC's Shaka Hislop. "On the field a game is still a game. You play it 11 against 11. I don't think that will change a lot. I think one of the biggest challenges we will find will be the traveling, and the weather.
"I have been with Claudio for a few weeks. We have been planning the preseason. We have been planning our trips. Claudio knows the league better than anyone else. In talking with other coaches after the draft, they explained to me what the main challenges were.
"I will be well prepared. I know what to expect. There are no excuses."
Vieira and Reyna are both former Manchester City players, though they were never teammates. Now they both work for the City Football Group that runs both the Premier League club and NYCFC, and Vieira said the parent company offered an ideal way to start his coaching career.
"It was the best project for myself. To coach a first team in football," Vieira said. "I had different offers, but this was the best because of the dimension of the project, and the people that surround the football club. I wanted to work with people that I trust and I believe. Knowing that I will have the full support to do my job as best as I can. When you put everything together that was the best choice for me."
The ownership acted quickly to sack manager Jason Kreis after NYCFC missed the playoffs last season, and Vieira said it was crucial that he put a winning product on the pitch.
"I think it is really important. We want to be a successful football club," he said. "My job will be try help the players express themselves. I have to manage the players. I have to take the best of the players to express themselves. I am really looking forward to it.
"Of course I would like the team to reflect who I am as a person. I am determined. I am a hard worker. And I am really ambitious.
"I want the team to play to win the games. I don't want my team to go and play a game just not to lose. We want to play to win the game. I want to be an aggressive team to be determined. This is what I want and that is what I expect from the team."
Vieira also said he was not concerned that his three aging superstars -- Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa -- would give any less than their best.
"We are talking about three fantastic players who had fantastic careers," Vieira said. "People are always asking me how can you play with the three of them? How do you deal with their age? That is not a problem for me. That is not a worry for me at all.
"The best answer I had from them was that they are really ambitious and want to win. They are prepared to work hard. That was the best answer I got from them. All the other stuff that is something I will manage."