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Five-time Champions Brazil defeated Mexico 2-0 in their round of 16 match on Monday to book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They will be playing in their seventh successive quarter-finals and are unbeaten in the tournament.
They have produced some sublime football against Mexico and combined well as a team. Though Brazil started the tournament with a lacklustre 1-1 draw against Switzerland, they found their touch in the subsequent games. Then defeated Costa Rica, Serbia, and Mexico with a comfortable margin of 2-0.
With Brazil in the quarter-finals once again, hopes are raised now for their sixth World Cup win. Though they have to travel a lot more distance to win the World Cup, they are now a strong favourite. Brazil will play Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Without much ado, let’s take a look at the 5 reasons why Brazil will win the World Cup.
#1 Brazil isn’t a one-man team anymore
One of the major factors that doomed the Samba boys four years ago was their over-reliance on Neymar. Luiz Felipe Scolari expected him to do all the scoring and built a truckload of pressure on the shoulders of the 22-year-old.
Now they have players like Philippe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, and Roberto Firmino to share the goalscoring burden with Neymar. Gabriel Jesus was the top goal scorer for Brazil in the qualifying campaign with 7 goals.
Roberto Firmino is amongst the goals and Paulinho is scoring as well. Even if the opponents manage to keep Neymar quiet, it will be really difficult for them to close all the attacking avenues for Brazil. One cannot forget the resurgent Willian. He has been in superb form for club and country over the last six months.
#2 Tite has done wonders to this Brazilian side
Though the Brazilians reached the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, they were very conservative throughout the tournament. Germany brutally exposed them in the tournament and the semi-finals exit was very painful. Luiz Felipe Scolari had to take a fair share of the blame because of his team selection and tactics.
Then came Dunga. He was fired after two years in 2016 and the reasons were almost same. Brazil was not able to play their usual attacking football under Dunga and the results were not great. The nation called for a manager who can bring back the Samba magic.
In came Tite and he rejuvenated the Brazilian side. Since his arrival in June 2016, they have lost only once and finished 10 points clear at the top in South American qualifying. They are unbeaten in the 2018 World Cup so far and playing with a lot of flair.
#3 They have arguably the best defense in the 2018 World Cup
Tite’s side has arguably the best in the World Cup. Under Tite, Brazil has played 25 games and conceded only six goals. They have kept clean sheets in 18 games and won 20 of them. They have also scored 54 goals in those games.
The centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Miranda was exceptional for Brazil throughout the qualifying campaign. Alisson Becker was a rock between the sticks and played a huge part in their recent success.
Thiago Silva replaced Marquinhos at the back for the 2018 World Cup and has done a great job so far. Brazil has conceded only one goal in the World Cup and kept three clean sheets in four games.
Alisson Becker has made only three saves so far in the competition, showing how good the Brazilians at the back. Even without the injured Dani Alves, this Brazil teams looks very assured at the back.
#4 Neymar is more dangerous now than he was four years ago
Though Neymar single-handedly carried Brazil to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, he was only a 22-year-old rookie at the tournament in Brazil. He was not exposed to the European football then, but, he still managed pressure well and did a great job.
Coming into the 2018 World Cup, Neymar is one of the best players in the world. He was phenomenal at the Camp Nou for three years and played well for Paris Saint-Germain during the 2017/18 season. He is one of the prolific goal scores in the world right now and is in great shape during the first four games for Brazil.
He is 26 now and at the peak of his footballing career. He has shown a lot of maturity in the tournament so far and has scored two goals and assisted one more. He is the most fouled player in the tournament but still, he manages to deliver results for his team.
#5 Elimination of Germany, Spain, and Argentina is adding to Brazil’s advantage
This World Cup continues to amaze and shock us right from the qualifying campaign. Italy and Netherlands shocked the footballing world when they failed to qualify for the tournament in Russia.
The defending Champions, Germans, were eliminated in the group stage and then Portugal and Argentina followed them after a round of 16 loss. The path is clearing up for Brazil at the moment. The only previous Champions that remain in the tournament are Uruguay, France, and England.
There are only a few teams left in the World Cup that can really challenge Brazil at the moment. The Brazilians are playing some phenomenal football right now and could go all the way this time. Time for them to win their sixth title. Samba magic is back.
How far do you think Brazil will go? Sound off in the comments below!
