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 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.