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 Defense: The top three back fours in the world

It's been well established at this point that a great team is built from the back up, and having a great back four that you know you can count on goes a long way in winning the World Cup. These are, in my opinion, the best three defensive teams in the world:

1. Brazil.



Brazil has one of the most offensively potent defenses in the world, and a lot of that has to do with who they have out on the wings taking the ball up field. These wings backs are Daniel Alves and Maicon (pictured above) and they lead the team in assists. They are two of the best defenders on the ball in the world. Alves is a little young, but is still proving himself as a great defender whose only weakness is that he tends to lose the ball when trying to make a play, but that's what gets him in position to get in those crosses. Maicon is every manager's dream defender. He never loses the ball, messes up a pass, or gets carded. But he's also ruthless and is known for having a flawless slide tackle. Brazil couldn't ask for two better wide backs, and that's part of what makes them such a great defensive side.

What makes them one of if not the best is who anchors that defense in the middle. Lucio is an extremely intelligent defender who knows exactly how to hide is not exactly legal tackles in the box and is the last line of defense before Julio Cesar, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Juan and Thiago Silva are both also quite good and are known for pushing the ball past the center line, giving phenom Kaka a chance to make a run ahead of the ball.

2. Spain.



This is sort of a no brainer, as Spain has the two best central defenders in the world, Carles Puyol (pictured above) and Gerard Pique. Watching the two playing the same position is frankly a little funny, as Pique, 6'3'', dwarfs Puyol, 5'10''. But the two players are remarkably different. Puyol, as one of my friends quoted from an article, "will put his head where most defenders wouldn't dare put their feet." He's basically fearless, and is every Spanish fan's favorite. The problem is that he gets carded quite frequently and that's where Pique comes in. Pique is a monolithic, calculating defender who's as reliable as he is deadly with the ball at his feet. I recently picked him as one of the best young players in the tournament this year.

Out on the wings, Sergio Ramos is one of the most exciting players to watch on the pitch for the Spanish side. He's got quite a few tricks up his sleeve, and attackers never really expect it, which is also a little funny to watch. Ramos plays cool, confident football, the perfect dish out for the mad lion of Puyol. Ramos is the starting point of every Spanish attack, so when he's on the ball, pay attention. The other side is usually Joan Capdevilla, who is always the pick for a free kick that's too far away for Xavi or Villa to try a shot from. He's got a great cross and is an important aspect of the team.

Furthermore, every player on the bench: Albiol, Arbeloa, and Marchena are fully capable of coming in the game without much energy being lost at all. This is the kind of depth that Spain has all over the field, again, making them the favorite to win the Cup this year.

3. Italy.



Italians are world famous for their defending, and in fact it was a big part of why they won the world cup in 2006, along with magnificent goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The highlights of this defense are Zambrotta (pictured above), Cannavaro, and Chiellini, but they are all basically the same. They don't push the ball up field too often, relying on retracted midfielder, Camoranesi to get an attack started. The Italian penalty box is the hardest in the world to penetrate, as the Italians are well schooled in keeping attackers out. This is the foundation of Italian football, defend, and then striking quickly with quick-legged midfielders.