On Barcelona: Holes that need to be filled.

Barca needs to sign some people. In the offseason, they've lost Yaya Toure to Manchester City (which is good, in my book) and they've lost Rafa Marquez to the New York Red Bulls. This might not be so bad if center mid and center back were the two positions that Barca will shallow at all along.

With those two guys leaving, you've basically got Busquets and Xavi at center mid, and that's really it. Sure they can call guys up, but you need production in every game, especially if you're Barca and especially if you're competing with Real this season. And Busquets is 20 years old and has, in my mind, yet to prove himself as a legitamate starter.

Barca kept a spot warm for Fabregas all offseason, but now that the preverbial cow has stayed home, Barca's a few CMs short. So what to do? Barca is apparently in the money for Mesut Ozil, even though Soccernet has said that has been "rubbished." Apparently Mascherano wants to go there too, which would be great because he could link up with fellow argentine Messi. If it's not Ozil or Mascherano, Barca needs to find somebody else to fill the gap. Someone to maybe even push Busquets onto the bench, at least until he doesn't look like a kid who can't find his mom in a crowded mall.

But there are other problems. In the back, Barca have Dani Alves, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, and Eric Abidal. This is one of the best back fours in the world. However, Puyol is a hot head and is also getting up there in age, so he won't be available all of the time. Pique already played more than anyone else as it was and Abidal has trouble finishing games a lot of the time. Behind them, there are a bunch of nameless drones some of whom haven't even been assigned numbers they're so worthless.

This is the area where I truly fear for Barca. Quality center backs are a little hard to come by these days and they've spent so much time and so many resources trying to get Fabregas to come to the Camp Nou, that I think they may have a difficult time getting someone with quality in. I'd go for Mertesacker, even though Werder Bremen have stoutly said he isn't for sale.

Even if Barca has a laundry list of extremely talented players up top (Messi, Ibrahimovic, Pedro, Villa, Bojan, Iniesta) if they don't have the support play, they're too top heavy. They may be good for a 8-0 thrashing of Real Sporting, but if you put them in the Champions League against a team with depth like Liverpool, they will surely crash out.

These are my thoughts on Barcelona's needs going into this season. What do you think?

On Thierry Henry: What his move to the New York Red Bulls means and doesn't mean.

French hero, Arsenal legend, handballing extraordinaire, and Hunter Blair's bane of existence Thierry Henry has been confirmed as going to the New York Red Bulls. Henry came off of one of the worst seasons of his career at Barcelona where he was barely ever played and when he did truly showed his age.

In the World Cup, I think he was put into one game for like five minutes.

Let's look at what this move means:

1. America: Where soccer greats go to die. In the last two weeks, I've heard that Lampard, Giggs, and Henry wanted to go to the MLS to end their career. What this means is that some players that are getting on in age are looking to the MLS as a great way to sign out. That means basically that they have no respect for the MLS, as they think that they can just go there and be a star, even if they are in the worst shape of their soccer careers. That, to me, isn't good for the U.S. And it's not like this is a new thing, the Galaxy had Beckham in his twilight years.

2. The Red Bulls will be a contender in the MLS. The Red Bulls last year were kind of embarassingly bad. I don't watch the MLS too often, but I do know that the Bulls are kind of the worst New York franchise other than the Islanders. But, they've showed this season that they do have some value.

And for all of the shit that I kick on Henry, he's got talent. You would expect that he would be able to show that talent in a league like the MLS, where the expectations are basically nil and everyone is looking to have fun.

Now, let's look at what the MLS needs to do to be taken seriously in the footballing world, so that maybe next time we'll hear that like Messi or something has joined the Galaxy:

1. Youth programs. A lot of U.S. clubs, mainly D.C. United, have started youth programs. The first wave of those kids are coming up now, like Altidore and Torres. But the future looks even brighter, and these programs need to just keep expanding and keep getting better.

2. Champions League contender. The MLS needs to become like the Turkish Super Ligue. We need to get one club, like Fenerbache, that's good enough to contend with the great clubs around the world. The Galaxy, I guess Dallas, and maybe now the Red Bulls need to step up and make an impression in the national circuit. That means more talent coming in, more exposure abroad, and more interest from the youth at home.

These are my basic impressions about Henry's move to the Red Bulls.

On Transfers: Top Five biggest transfers and what they mean for the clubs involved

1. David Villa- Valencia to Barcelona



















This is kind of a no-brainer. One of four top scorers at the World Cup this year, Villa has established himself as among some of the premier strikers in the world. His abilities are all based around one thing: goal scoring. Everything about Villa is crafted to score goals. He's got power, effective control of both feet, incredible ingeniuty and strength in the final third, and the guts to take the shot. Villa has averaged around 25 goals a season since he became Valencia's golden boy. But when the club went under financially and failed to achieve any kind of success again in the Spanish Primera Division, Barca cashed in and added what could be the hottest player in the world to their roster.

Let's take a look at this move in detail and what it means for Barca.

There are a lot of things about Villa's move that scream success. He'll replace an underwhelming Ibrahimovic, he's yet another Spanish national superstar to add to Barca's already impressive cast, he's got scoring ability, and he's coming from a club that tries very hard to mimick Barca. He's also just been training with a Spanish side that bases most of it's passing game on the Barca strategy.

However, there are some things that worry me about this move. What this move means is that Villa is going to probably start as a central striker with Iniesta out to his left. Villa loves to drift left, so this could cause some uncomfortable rubbing of shoulders of these two superstars. When this formula was in place in the World Cup in the final two games of the tournament for Spain, the offense looked almost idiotic in the final third, and got one goal from a broken play and expert finishing from Iniesta. But luck like that just isn't going to be there in La Liga week in and week out, and they certainly can't rely on goal production like 8 goals in 8 games.

Also, Villa is too goddamn short to play in the middle of the field. I don't care if he has overcome so many odds to be a great striker with his height, he's short. And he really has no aerial game, which is a key for playing in the center. Rooney is about as tall as Villa, but Wayne's got ups and he knows how to time a header, so he's an example of what Villa just doesn't have.

So while everyone is salivating about Villa's move, I'm waiting for some actual evidence that this is actually going to work.

2. David Silva- Valencia to Manchester City
















Valencia's implosion also benefitted Manchester City who will start the new season with the incisive passing, blazing speed, and creative ball skills to David Silva.

The only real concern I have for this move is related to how hesitant Bosque was to play Silva. It seemed as if Silva was out of form, so much so that Bosque made little to no effort to start him.

Other than that, I really don't see how this is just the ultimate win for City. More on them in a moment.

3. Javier Hernandez- Guadalajara to Manchester United



















The first Mexican to ever sign with the Red Devils, Guadalajara's own Javier Hernandez will find himself competing for a starting spot with Park Jin-Sook, Dimitar Berbatov, and Michael Owen. In that little introduction I've outlined my major concern with this move. Can Hernandez establish himself as the replacement for a dwindling Berbatov, and will he be able to win the spot over fan favorite and club stalwart Park?

I think so. When I saw this kid come into the line-up for Mexico, he looked like everyone kept hyping him up to be. He's got a never-ending appetite for the goal, a nose for it, and a natural instinct around the penalty box. This guy could be one of the rising artists of finishing, him and Karim Benzema (if Benzema takes his thumb out of his ass).

I don't think Ferguson will be hesitant to try out his new man, the question is if he can do what he needs to do.

4. Yossi Benayoun- Liverpool to Chelsea


















This has been the Blues' only real move in the offseason this year, but it's a huge one.

This is a crushing blow for Liverpool in my book, because Benayoun was a rare high point in their depressing season.

Benayoun is a little difficult for me to describe because I've only seen him play once, but what I understand about him is that he's got unforgiving pace and a real creative flare on the ball. I think that Chelsea were desperately missing both of those things out wide on the wings this year, so I think that this will be a great opportunity for Benayoun and the Blues.

5. Yaya Toure- Barcelona to Manchester City



























Man City has come out and said many times at the end of the season that they are ready to win the Premiership for the first time this year. So I guess their plan was to buy some people, which should work, you'd think.

But this is the epitomy of the problem with the English Premier League. There is so much pressure to produce produce produce that no one wants to sign some nobody anymore, or raise some great player. There may never be another Ryan Giggs. (Giggs by the way is the classic example of a homegrown English player).

This transfer I think is evidence of that. Toure was a cocky, belligerent ass at Barca and I don't think he'll be any different at Man City. He's going to have a tough time getting a starting spot with Garreth Barry in his spot, and I really don't think his 50 yard speculative shots that never go in are really welcome anywhere.

I kind of just made this number five to crap on Toure a bit.

So these are my picks for the five biggest transfers. Think I missed something? Think Yaya isn't worthless? Let's talk.

On Cesc Fabregas: The war between Wenger and Barcelona

The man pictured above is 23 year old Cesc Fabregas. He was raised in Barcelona's Camp Nou in their youth program. Soon, he was spotted by talented Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and was signed to the club in 2003 at the age of 16. A year later, following the injuries of key midfielders, Fabregas would become the starting midfielder and one of the principle goal scorers for the Gunners. He would eventually become the captain, and one of the youngest captains in the Premier League at that.

Fabregas is a very special player, known for unforgiving pace, deadly accurate shots, legs that never tire, and with that, some of the longest and most visually impressive runs most in North London had ever seen.

But, after a depressing season that ended with Arsenal well behind league leaders Manchester United and Chelsea, Cesc looked over at where his roots were, Barca. He saw a team that won the La Liga, a cup title, and even witnessed first hand how they could devastate opponents in Messi's 4-1 route of Arsenal in the Champions League.

He also saw world class midfielder Xavi and a gaping hole in the other midfield spot next to him, filled intermittenly by a struggling Toure, and a much-too-young Sergio Busquets. He saw a niche for himself. He could see Xavi's lead passes putting him on his way to goal, ripping and tearing through defenders in La Liga, leading Barca to glory. He saw a vast majority of Spanish national players like Andre Iniesta and Carles Puyol. He wanted in. And Barca has shown their interest in him.

What followed has been a two week long war between Arsene Wenger and the Barca staff. Arsenal came out just two days ago and said that Barca could have Fabregas...for 80 million. Barca are willing to pay 15, or even as much as 30, but Arsenal's assertion has some thinking that this war could last all summer, effectively putting a halt on both club's transfer activities.

Furthermore, Wenger has disclosed privately that he is resigned to Fabregas leaving, and that the player himself is absolutely vehement about going too.

But the Gunners can't just let their captain walk away, or at least it seems the owners are pushing Wenger not to let him. The inevitability of Fabregas leaving at this point is evident, now Cesc will just have to wait it out, knowing that Wenger, the man who effectively brought him where he is today, is extremely sad. Wenger made comments yesterday about how much he loved Cesc, and really hates to see him go.

Maybe Wenger isn't so resigned to him leaving. Because although Fabregas has said that he is focused on the World Cup for Spain at this point, one can't help but wonder what he feels when he reads the tabloids, and sees how much Arsenal wants him to stay. Personally I think he'll be a great addition to Barca, mostly because I'm really tired of seeing Toure mucking up every time he gets the ball. But I know that things won't be the same next year in North London with their golden boy gone.

On David Villa: Why he'll win the coveted Golden Boot at the World Cup

Honestly, David Villa is the current front runner to win this thing, so this looks like kind of a band wagon post. But I'm going to tell you why the obvious is what's going to happen this year at the World Cup.

To win the Golden Boot, a couple of basic things have to be in place. First, the team has to go far in the tournament so that goals can be accrued. Second, there has to be a great team element. Third, the player has to have a lot of individual talent and serve a specific niche on the team as a "goal scorer." Here's a breakdown of why all of these things are going to fall into place for Villa this year.

1. Spain is in a crap group. It's no secret that past Golden Boot winners profitted by scoring two to three goals in one match against particularly defensively weak opponents. Spain is in a group with Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland. None are push overs obviously, but all of these teams are characteristically weak defensively. Spain will surely be able to crush at least Switzerland and Honduras, and the man behind it will be Villa.

2. Xavi is passing to him. Xavi is considered by most to be one of the best passers of all time. In the 2006 World Cup, he got four assists in A GAME. He's the orchestrator of the entire offense, and the venom of that offense it Villa. Which brings me to my next point.

3. Villa is a great striker. As a player in his own right, Villa has established himself as one of the best strikers in La Liga and the world. He's famous for his scorching shot, but he's got great pace and ball skills. Really the only thing not going for Villa is his size, but being in a group against undersized South Americans helps that issue. He'll also probably get a crack at a few free kicks, maybe getting a goal or two there too.

4. Spain is a team. In the truest since of the word, Spain's players work together, and quite well. This is because at least seven of the players in the starting lineup have been playing all season for Barcelona, winning the La Liga there. This is a bunch of guys who know how to win together, and they'll be utilizing Villa to the best of his abilities.

5. Torres chokes. It's sad but true, Fernando Torres is infamous for being unable to deliver in big game situations. Coupled with a disappointing season at Liverpool, the weight of goal scoring will fall on Villa in Torres' absence. And Villa is notorious for being a fearless, clutch player.

6. Spain is favorited to win the World Cup. In my mind, anyway. EPI has Brazil ranked over them, but you can't tell me Spain isn't the favorite. This is a team that will at the very least make the final, meaning Villa will have plenty of opportunities in plenty of games to score.