Champions League 2014-15 Schedule, Predictions and Standings: Can Lionel Messi, Neymar & Luis Suarez Lead Barcelona Back to European Greatness?

By David Salazar Aug 19 2014, 16:52 PM EDT

The Champions League gets underway in a couple of weeks, and Barcelona heads into the tournament in a rather uncomfortable situation.

The Spanish side is coming off a year in which it missed the semifinals for the first since 2006-07. In that stretch, the team has won the tournament twice.

However, it is hard to call the team a true favorite after its recent struggles. In 2011-12, Los Cules were stifled by a stingy Chelsea defense that seemingly showed the world the best way to shut down Barcelona's prodigious passing style. A year later, Bayern Munich completely dismantled tiki-taka in a 7-0 aggregate victory that proved that pace and physicality could overcome meticulous passing.

Barcelona seemed undeterred after the destruction at the hands of the German club and insisted on tiki-taka in the 2013-14 season. It came to an end against an Atletico Madrid team that combined both Chelsea and Bayern Munich's strategies to eliminate Blaugrana from the competition in the quarterfinals.

It was a huge step back for a team that seemingly lacks an identity. Los Cules have yet to really show how they plan to play under new coach Luis Enrique. That is just one of many question marks.

Xavi was expected to leave over the summer, but was surprisingly retained. He is the most essential proponent of tiki taka, and if he plays, then it will be an indication that the passing style will be retained. However, there is no certainty that Xavi will be the starter. It is highly possible that Andres Iniesta and new acquisition Ivan Rakitic could team up in from of Sergio Busquets (or Javier Mascherano) in a 4-3-3 similar to Real Madrid's system from last year. Possession could continue being the name of the game, but the style would have more directness.

The concerns on offense are negligible when considering that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will lead the way. Whether those three find a way to work together will make for an interesting story, but it does not offer the team's greatest concern. That would be on defense.

The source of Blaugrana's struggles over the last few years has always been on the back end. Ever since Carles Puyol's best years left him, the team has struggled defensively. Gerard Pique has stopped being an elite defender. His lack of speed has been repeatedly used against him, while his injury concerns have made him less imposing physically. Mascherano has been used as the other center back, but it is clear that he does not excel in that area. On the wings, Dani Alves has declined, and Jordi Alba has continued to be a liability tracking back.

This makes countering against Barcelona that much easier for speedy sides like Bayern and Atletico.

To address this issue, los Blancos have brought in the likes of Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen. Both are solid defenders, but Mathieu is 30--and durability is a huge concern--and Vermaelen has often struggled to remain healthy. More importantly, they do not improve Barcelona's defense tremendously. The additions seem to be little more than Band-Aids to a larger issue.

The goaltending situation is far from secure, either. Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen are surely improvements over Jose Manuel Pinto, but are they really better than former Barcelona star Victor Valdes? The answer is no. Bravo is a solid netminder, but he has never been on the same level as his predecessor. Ter Stegen is still rather young and prone to mistakes using his feet. Moreover, the German is injured to start the season, and it is unknown how long it will take him to get back in top form.

Is Barcelona a top contender for the Champions League? Let us know in your comments below.