Winning the World Cup will silence Brazil's critics - Miranda

EXCLUSIVE: The new Inter centre-back admits the Selecao are in a bad way after their Copa America failure but has backed coach Dunga

Miranda believes winning the World Cup in 2018 is the only way Brazil can silence their doubters and satisfy supporters.

Following a devastating 7-1 semi-final defeat in the finals on home soil last summer, Dunga replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari as head coach and set about restoring the nation to their former glories.

However, their impressive run of 10 consecutive victories prior to the Copa America ultimately counted for little as Brazil slumped to a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the quarter-finals.

And with criticism back home becoming vocal once again, Miranda believes that glory on the global stage is the only way to restore Brazil's image.

"We played against top opponents in the Copa America. We faced several difficulties as some important players got injured at the end of the preparation and couldn't play," said the new Inter defender

"I think this is a bad moment for Brazil. As a player and a supporter of the Selecao, I think the best way to overcome this moment is with the affection of the supporters. I am sure we will have a very difficult World Cup qualifying and the supporters' affection will be crucial for us.

"Many people say that the best Selecao was that one that didn't win anything. We are all winning players. The best Selecao is that one that wins, so the best way to answer our critics is to win. That is our goal. Winning the World Cup will put us in history."

Captain Neymar picked up a suspension after an angry outburst at the end of Brazil's defeat to Colombia and Miranda admits the Barcelona star was a big loss.

"First of all, Neymar is a great player and a very important one, he is one of the leaders of the Selecao," said the former Atletico Madrid man. "And offensively he is a different player to what we have.

"We missed him a lot as he is one of the best players in the world. It was a big shock. We tried to play as a group without Neymar's presence, but any national team or club would have feel the impact of missing him."

Miranda was also eager to back head coach Dunga to turn Brazil back into world-beaters - especially given their impressive form prior to the finals in Chile.

"Dunga has been doing a great job. It is normal that some difficult moments happen. Two defeats can't erase everything good we've done so far. We had 11 wins in a row and we can't say, after two defeats, that everything is wrong. We have to give him time, he is building the Selecao after a huge difficulty of losing a World Cup at home."

Finally, the 30-year-old was full of praise for eventual winners Chile after their dramatic shootout triumph over Argentina in the final.

"I was not surprised [to see them win] because Chile are playing the best football at this moment," he added. "I watched the final as I love football. It was well deserved for everything Chile did at the Copa America. They have a strong side, with good technique and they're quite aggressive."