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 German Youngsters: Loyal, or just naive?

Germany fielded it's youngest team ever for the World Cup this year and featured some extremely impressive young talent that blossomed wonderfully throughout the tournament. All of that flare and ingenuity amongst these new players got a lot of people wondering if any of these guys were going to make big moves during the transfer season. Here's a breakdown of what's happened so far:

1. Mesut Ozil (pictured above, playing his air turntables): Staying at Werder Bremen. I really love Werder Bremen. They've got the German keeper Wiese, German legendary center back Per Mertesacker, and now they have recent standout Mesut Ozil. Ozil (whom I have given the nickname: The Turkish Ninja, because of his ability to open up into space in the blink of an eye and strike when you least expect it) had been linked with a move to Real Madrid since the World Cup was over.

But Ozil was quick to come out and say he was interested, and then quickly say he wasn't a day later. Maybe he had a think, maybe his agent was in his ear, but whatever it was, Ozil has been adamant about his decision to stay at Bremen and has stayed away from the media. So that, as they say, is that.

2. Sami Khedira: Staying at Stuttgart. Khedira was another young standout in the World Cup who was playing for Germany (though he was also born in Turkey). Khedira made heads turn for his solid defensive work, his field vision, and his uncanny ability to string together the perfect combination of passes on the way to the goal. He's like a giant, slower, less good version of Xavi. But he can also shoot, so that's an advantage on Xavi. But here I am comparing Xavi and Khedira and forgetting what I'm talking about. Oh yeah! Real Madrid also wanted Khedira, but this move was linked before the World Cup even started.

Khedira, though, went a step further than Ozil and is reportedly "laughing off" these claims. Oh, to be young and laugh off a move to Real Madrid.

3. Lukas Podolski: Staying at Cologne. Podolski is still another player that came out of the woodwork to play for Germany (born in Poland). His pace, ability to deliver the ball in from the final third, ability to cut in from out wide, and his scoring ability made him a target for a number of major clubs, reportedly.

But Podolski has also come out and firmly stated that he is not leaving his Italian club Cologne.

These guys from Germany are aged 21, 23, and 25 respectively. They are some of the hottest players in football and are recieving offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world. Quite frankly, I hope they all stay. I do respect Madrid for trying to at least acquire two players with some chemistry together, but come on, you've got Kaka and Ronaldo, just deal.

And yet still, the speculation continues about their departure from their beloved clubs. It's being said now that Ozil could even be bound for Manchester United. Which I wouldn't necessarily mind either, we're kind of running thin on the midfield. No shot at Fletcher, Scholes, or Carrick. But they're all getting up there, we could use Ozil.

So when the dust settles, I guess we'll have to see where these youngsters end up. But for right now, whether it's belligerent teen angst left over from days not so far gone by, or an agent telling them to hold out, the kids are alright right where they are.