Tite 2022: Why Brazil should follow the Spain and Germany's example and ditch the short-termism

"To have this continuity is always good," said Julen Lopetegui. He was grinning, and for good reason: his contract as Spain coach has just been extended, meaning that he will lead La Furia Roja throughout the Euro 2020 cycle, no matter what happens at the World Cup.

Spain are not the only team to have acted on their 2020 vision in recent weeks. Roberto Martínez will remain in the Belgium hotseat beyond Russia ("I feel that the job is not done, whatever happens in the World Cup"), while Germany, ever the pace-setters, have gone a step further, tying Joachim Löw down for four more years.

At which point, enter Brazil, spiritual home of managerial instability and literal home of a national-team coach who, for all his evident brilliance, will be unemployed in July as things stand.

In my latest for Unibet, I look at the CBF's odd reluctance to embrace a long-term project, and – in the doomed hope that they might be reading – implore them to reconsider.

A year of Vinícius Júnior: How has the Flamengo starlet done since Real Madrid paid €45million for his services?

"He's in the eye of the storm," said former Brazil full-back Júnior. "Everything he does is being blown out of proportion."

He was speaking about Vinícius Júnior, the Flamengo youngster bought by Real Madrid a year ago today. A €45million transfer fee is always likely to bring added scrutiny, but the effect is multiplied when you're just 17 years old.

Yet despite the odd controversy (hi, Botafogo fans!), Vinícius has been making fairly steady progress since the deal was confirmed, growing in stature and winning himself plenty of admirers.

For FourFourTwo, I look at the teenager's first year as a professional and assess his readiness to make an impact in Europe.

Parental phone calls, bank adverts and one-note chants: The alternative guide to Brazil at the World Cup

Ahead of the greatest show on earth, it makes sense that fans want to get the lowdown on all of the teams.

Key players, tactics, strengths, weaknesses: this is all important stuff. But it's also good, where possible, to dig a little deeper.

Did the Brazil bits in the @WSC_magazine World Cup guide. All good newsagents or online here https://t.co/0WXJu4wltq pic.twitter.com/T68QFIRBB9

— Jack Lang (@jacklang) May 18, 2018

The When Saturday Comes World Cup guide does just that, asking vital questions like "Which players have done really crap adverts recently?" and "Why is that guy doing that weird celebration?"

I've provided the responses for the Brazil section of the issue, which you can get at all good newsagents, or online here.

Brazil World Cup preview: Seleção look like serious contenders in Russia – just don't mention 2014

Four years on from the golden, historic, not-at-all-harrowing experience of hosting the 2014 edition, Brazil are back at the tournament they love best.

Now just one loyalty stamp away from receiving a statutory free World Cup - terms and conditions apply - the Seleção are eyeing Russia 2018 with the kind of intent usually reserved for Ronaldinho during Carnaval season.

To say that Brazil are among the pre-tournament favourites is to edge towards tautology; you could pick 11 strangers from your local high street, deck them out in yellow jerseys and people would still look and them and think, "Cor, that lot will take some beating."

I'm profiling – and gently mocking – all of the favourites for Russia 2018 on the Betfair blog over next couple of weeks. Read the Brazil entry here.

Dani Alves' injury heartache is a huge blow to Brazil's World Cup hopes – and to all true football fans

"I don’t want anybody to cry for me," he insisted.

"I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me. I have lived my dreams. Dani Alves is not going to the World Cup, but he is still one happy motherfucker."

That's as maybe, but Brazil are going to miss him dearly. Not just as a full-back – although massively, massively as a full-back – but as a personality and a leader. As someone who can always raise a smile in the changing room, too.

In my latest World Cup preview for Unibet, I look at Brazil's options for replacing him in the starting XI. Have a read here.

Why Fred could be the joker in Brazil's pack this summer – and Fernandinho's long-term heir at Manchester City

There are unlikely to be many big surprises when Tite names his Brazil squad for the World Cup on Monday.

Grêmio pair Luan and Arthur are the most exciting players operating in Brasileirão but look unlikely to gatecrash the final 23, so the bulk of the group will be familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in the top European leagues.

All of which made it slightly complicated to pick an up-and-coming 'One To Watch' to kick off Unibet's new series of profiles ahead of the World Cup. In the end, I plumped for Fred, who, despite being a Champions League regular over the last few seasons, is still yet to make a major mark at international level.

He will travel to Russia as a back-up player, but with a fine season behind him, it would be no great surprise were the 25-year-old to make an impact from the bench as Brazil seek to make amends for their 2014 nightmare.

Read more here.

Seduction and salvation: why Philippe Coutinho's Vasco years add another layer of intrigue to El Clásico

Eurico Miranda is not one to bite his tongue when something has irked him, and this passed his irritation threshold with plenty to spare.

"Real Madrid sought out the player's family, making offers that were too good to turn down," seethed Vasco da Gama's blowhard president. "But they were illegal. We want to make clear that this is no way to act."

He called it a "crime of seduction" and reported Los Merengues to Uefa and Fifa.  There was an element of theatre to it all – of irony, too, given Miranda's notoriously patchy moral record – but his resolve was true: he would not be selling his prized asset on the cheap. Well, not to Madrid, anyway.

10 years have passed since Vasco's death dance with the Bernabéu juggernaut, and while tales of tapping-up have long since lost their power to shock, this particular tangle does provide a nice alternative backstory to this weekend's Clásico.

Read all about it on the Independent website.