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When Brazil won the 2002 World Cup, I was supposed to be invisible on the pitch, but it made things easier for the players in front of me.
Casemiro is at the center of this Brazil team trying to win the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. He has a lot of responsibilities in my position.
In 2002 we had plenty of attackers to make the difference and this time we have more of them.
To win a World Cup, you have to remember the other parts as well.
It's important for us to be strong defensively, even if the manager plays us further forward.
We have the right balance right now. The back four and the players in front of them teach the side to be solid.
The key is Casemiro's intelligence.
If you want to play for Brazil, you have to be smart and patient. I would like to explain why.
It's not just about being the tough player, it's also about tackling everyone. You have to be clever to choose the right time to put a challenge in because that is only one small part of the role.
You have to understand where you should be in the game and read it.
It's your position that's important. Most of the time, you can see everything from the right line if you choose the right one.
It usually meant having a few attacking guys further forward and only the center-backs behind me, with the full-backs in a line between them. That is where Casemiro is as well.
You are the one who is in control. Even if you don't touch the ball, you're in control because you're where you need to be.
When you don't have the ball, it's difficult for some players to understand what to do, because they don't get it as much.
Some players get distracted by something. They don't have the ball. They lost position because they got frustrated.
It's enough if it's only for a short time. Your opponents will have a chance if you leave the space where you should be.
Casemiro didn't let that happen against Serbia in our first game in Group G, so it has to be the same against Switzerland on Monday.
It would have been easy for him to go forward in a game where we had a lot of possession, but he only touched the ball once in the final third, and he hit the bar with a shot from outside.
He kept his discipline and was always ready if we lost the ball.
He knew that he didn't need to run with it.
I wasn't different. When the guys up front lose the ball, I have to run to get it back, and give them another chance.
It's not possible to do all this on your own.
Casemiro and Fred played together for the national team in Brazil's first game in the group stage.
I've watched them play many times and for Brazil, they have only lost once, in the 2021 Copa America final.
It works well because Casemiro is at the back and Fred is more mobile than Kleberson was at the 2002 World Cup.
Fred is a strong defensive player. He helps Casemiro do his job by playing with him and helping him.
I hope this partnership works well at the World Cup because they have an understanding now. It will be important if we win it.
Chris Bevan was talking to Gilberto Silva in the Middle East.
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