World Cup 2018: 3 things Brazil need to do to win it all 

The FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and while there are many favorites to lift the prestigious trophy, the Brazilian National team can be termed as a favorite among the favorites.

The Selecaos have been the most successful team at the World Cups, winning it a record 5 times. The Brazil national team is also the only team to have been present in all the World Cups till date. While so many positives are out there, there are a few things Brazil requires to sort out in order to lift the World Cup in Russia.

So, here are the 3 things that Brazil needs to do in order to triumph in Russia.

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#3 Play Firmino instead of Jesus

Firmino can bring the best out of Neymar.

The Liverpool forward trio of Salah, Mane, and Firmino was the most fearsome trio during the 2017-18 season, combining devastatingly to score 30 goals in Europe while also netting over 60 goals in the Premier League. The form of Mohammed Salah was particularly impressive and it was largely due to Roberto Firmino's playing style

Since the strength of Brazil's attacking play lies in the wider areas, with the likes of Coutinho, Neymar, and Marcelo operating down the flanks, Brazil requires someone to bring the wide players into the game, and there is no one better than Firmino at this job. Firmino is the one who can act as the link between midfield and the forwards.

Roberto Firmino can drop deep in the midfield and is a good passer of the ball. He is someone who can provide great service to both Neymar and Coutinho by vacating the space in and around the box for them to operate. During the 2017-18 season, Firmino was in terrific form and scored 25 goals and assisted 14. Also, Firmino is a workhorse and can act as a great defensive asset due to his intelligent pressing.

#2 Protect the left flank

Marcelo and Neymar.

Since Neymar is the team's most influential forward, he will be given full freedom from defensive duties. So, the defensive duties of the left flank will be entirely upon Marcelo, who is not known for his defensive discipline.

Although, Marcelo is currently the best left-back in the world mainly from an attacking point of view, he often lefts huge acres of space for opposition to exploit. Moreover, Brazil's head coach Tite is not expected to restrain World's most attacking full-back. Marcelo has shown considerable attacking threat during his time with Real Madrid and it will be a big mistake to curb his attacking instincts.

So, from a defensive point of view, Brazil's left flank is the most likely area for opponents to breach and it is of utmost importance to provide cover for Marcelo. That will require Miranda and Casemiro to be at their absolute best in order to provide defensive stability to the side.

#1 Find a suitable leader

Thiago Silva and Neymar have both captained Brazil in the past.

Almost all of the World Cup winning sides had exceptional leaders, who carried their teams through thick and thin. Philip Lahm, Cafu, Iker Casillas are all instances of great leaders who guided their teams to the World Cup glory. But the current Brazil side has no such leader.

The Leader is the one, who holds the team together, instills confidence in the players during crunch situations. In a high-pressure tournament such as World Cup, a strong leader will be necessary to maintain harmony among players and inspire them to commit 100% to the team's cause.

Although Tite has recently used a revolving armband policy, where he will change his skipper for each match, there is skepticism about this policy. So, the sooner Brazil figures out who the main leader is, the better.