Fabio Capello believes ambitious targets set for him by the Football Association are achievable.
The Italian is expected to lead England to at least the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup or Euro 2012 as part of the FA's four-year strategic vision.
And despite England's failure to reach Euro 2008, Capello says the targets have not put him under undue pressure.
"We must be positive and my personal objective in every team I have coached was to go to the top," he said.
"I am not under any pressure. It's no problem for me and it's no surprise these targets have been set. I believe that it's important to have these targets and to work towards them.
"We should all be confident of this because the team I have at the moment is capable of reaching these objectives."
Capello led England to a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in his first game in charge in February, but this was followed by a lacklustre 1-0 defeat away to France.
Both games were friendlies and the 61-year-old Capello will not get his first taste of competitive action until the World Cup qualifiers in September.
Before then England have further friendlies lined up with the United States, Trinidad and Tobago and the Czech Republic and Capello is likely to continue to experiment as he searches for a permanent captain.
FA chairman Lord Triesman insists the targets, imposed after an extensive review by English football's governing body, are realistic.
"We've got to work fast in order to get into tournaments and get through at least to the semi-finals, preferably win them," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I'm no different from anyone else, I want us to win them, but I want us to at least make the final mix where you are playing the Brazilians or the Italians or where you are really in against the sides at the top.
"It's not only an immediate thing but it's a middle-term thing. Just doing it once wouldn't be good enough."
The FA's review also recommended the appointment of an international performance director and approved plans to have the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton up and running by 2010.
Lord Triesman said that whoever takes up the role of performance director will not be Capello's boss, but will be charged with looking after the teams directly beneath the senior side.
"I want the very best person we can get and my clear preference is for someone who is English, if we can find the right person who can do it," he said.
"We need someone who understands sports performance but I feel strongly that unless that person understands football performance as well, they will not be able to do the job properly.
"The performance director needs to be able to understand what it is among our competitors that makes them so successful.
You look around the world at other countries who have done well tournament after tournament, such as Brazil, Italy and Germany and we have to make sure we learn everything they are doing."
Capello backed plans for the NFC, which he believes will play a major part in the development of talented young players.
"It is important to have a centre, to have a home - a place where we can go back and be together, spend time together, feel the spirit of the shirt we are wearing, regroup and achieve the targets that we want to achieve," he said.
"As we all know, only 38% of players in the Premier League are English.
"But having said, that there are lot of young players at the Under-21 level and younger that are very good so there is plenty of talent."
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