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By Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip)

During the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last summer, Dunga, who was then working as a pundit during the tournament, stated that if he were Selecao coach again that Thiago Silva would not be captain.

Just weeks after the South Americans were beaten by both Germany and the Netherlands to finish fourth on home soil, the 51-year-old took over from Luiz Felipe Scolari who had resigned after the 3-0 defeat to the Dutch in the third place playoff.

Because of Silva’s hamstring injury in an ill-timed friendly with club side Paris Saint-Germain after the season had already started, Dunga had to wait to strip the former skipper of the armband before handing it to Neymar permanently.

The 1994 World Cup-winning captain and a two-time Copa America champion with Brazil in 1989 and 1997 stuck to his word though, making the switch official when Silva returned to Selecao duty last November for the Turkey and Austria friendlies after recovering from his injury.

Ever since then, the PSG man has not only been without the leadership of the team, he has not even been an undisputed member of the starting XI. He arguably only featured from the off against both France and Chile in March after injury ruled out club teammate David Luiz.

During last summer’s World Cup, the pressure of leading the host national famously got too much for Silva and Dunga, in particular, singled out the 30-year-old’s emotional reaction to the situation.

The defender snapping was understandable in many ways because the expectations placed upon the host team by their supporters were immense. However, Dunga’s desire to paint a strong image of Brazil after they were thoroughly destroyed during their semi-final demolition at the hands of Germany was also understandable.

Dunga now appears to be trying to set too strong an example with his treatment of Silva though.

The Selecao tactician proved his point by removing the captaincy from the centre-back, but now he appears determined to keep asserting his authority by regularly benching him as a sign of power.

While Silva was recovering from his injury late last year, his being on the bench was not that big a problem as he was far from fully fit. But now, after a largely impressive second half of the season with PSG in France, Dunga’s continued snubbing of the former captain is starting to look negligent.

Silva struggled to regain full fitness initially, but then went on to enjoy a spell of form early this year that is up there with the best in his career and peaked when les Parisiens knocked Chelsea out of the UEFA Champions League back in March.

The Brazilian occasionally lapsed in concentration domestically, along with his teammates, but that did not stop them from completing an unprecedented clean sweep of French silverware. His form, once in his stride, has rarely wavered and he finished the campaign back at something close to his imposing best.

Silva now has the chance to lead his teammates to some measure of redemption for the World Cup debacle at this summer’s Copa America in Chile and O Monstro is in the form to do so. However, Dunga is likely to at least start him on the bench for the tournament, favouring Atletico Madrid’s relatively inexperienced Miranda and PSG teammate Luiz instead.

Luiz enjoyed a solid debut season in Paris, but is arguably better when deployed in midfield. That is not possible in this current Brazil side though, so the frizzy-haired star commands a starting central defensive role instead.

Miranda has not enjoyed the same success in the season just gone that he did with Atleti during the Spaniards’ 2013-14 campaign. The 30-year-old’s claims, not to mention his displays for the Selecao since Dunga took over, do not completely justify him starting over Silva.

Pairing Luiz and Silva in the middle from the off would be the ideal solution as the pair have played together in the heart of the PSG defence for the majority of the season and could immediately carry on that strong understanding in Chile.

However, Dunga also has the luxury of having a third member of the French champions’ backline to call upon this summer, with versatile youngster Marquinhos also in the final 23-man squad.

Brazil are expected to go far in this edition of the Copa America, as they search for a ninth title. If they are to win it though, they will need to be at their best defensively. A back line without a commanding Silva in it is not the Selecao’s strongest rearguard and set pieces, one of the PSG man’s main strengths, could still prove to be their undoing.

If Dunga wants to go all the way, then he will need to overcome his differences with Silva and bring the former skipper in from the cold.