Brazil coach Dunga urged journalists to stop "hitting and attacking" him as he prepares for match against North Korea.
Dunga, who captained his country to the world crown in 1994, has come under fire from the Brazilian press and public for adopting a pragmatic approach which puts winning above the 'futebol bonito' - beautiful football - which the country is famed for.
The game against the Koreans could be a great example of the demands on Dunga - a win alone will not be considered good enough, the team will be expected to win with style.
Dunga said: "I support the team from the morning to the evening and if I respond and say something a bit out of turn they are going to say I am bitter. You guys (the media) hit me, you attack me from morning to the evening and if I just answer, you tell me I am out of line."
Asked if he drew any strength from the friction with the media, he added: "I don't think there is anything positive you can draw from it. You may not like my answer, but you can criticise me for 24 hours, I can only criticise you for one second, and that is the crux of the matter."
Dunga, a holding midfielder himself in his playing days, is most widely criticised for his use of two anchor men with little or no flair - usually Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo.
He does have star man Kaka fit however after an injury-disrupted season with Real Madrid, while Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar has overcome a back problem.
Brazil are in a difficult group, with Portugal and the Ivory Coast vying with the five-time champions for a place in the last 16 and Dunga admitted there has never been a time in his reign as national coach when he has not felt nervous.
He added: "Without any doubt, every day as Brazil coach I feel nervous. It is four years since I've been coaching the Brazil team but I always feel butterflies in my stomach. I am wearing Brazilian colours and I know a lot of people would like to be in my place."
North Korea are, on the face of it, the weakest team by far in Group G but Dunga will take nothing for granted against them.
"They are a very quick team, a team that plays close passing football, rapid football and we are going to have to find a way to tackle their style of play," he added.
"We have to congratulate the Asian teams, they have evolved tremendously over the years. They are no longer the weaker team. Sometimes we believe that a certain team is the best, but football does not lie. We have to respect our opponent tomorrow and do everything in our grasp to win."
Dunga is confident that the team are well prepared to play at altitude after complaints about the conditions earlier today from Dutch and Danish players. Brazil are used to much worse, with trips to Bolivia testing players to the limit in terms of altitude as Argentina found out in a 6-1 defeat in qualifying.
"It is because of that reason that we came to South Africa a bit earlier, to adapt to the altitude," he said.
"It would be very difficult for someone who arrives to play the very next day, but all the teams knew altitude was a factor to take into account. If they go to Bolivia and play a friendly game they are going to see what altitude is all about."
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