Brazil vs. Spain: Players Who Have Most to Prove After Disappointing Final

If you look at the pitch at the Maracana, you can probably see exactly where Gerard Pique left whatever remains of his talent.

The 2013 Confederations Cup final was a nightmare for the Spain centre-back.

It's hard to believe how good he was a couple of years ago.

At the moment, Pique is a shell of his former self. He doesn't get himself into good positions, loses his man and makes foolish challenges. His performance in the final was symbolic of his overall decline.

Only 26 years old, Pique has plenty of time to get it together again and become the world-class centre-back he was when Barcelona were winning the Champions League.

Perhaps part of the problem is that the player has grown complacent. His place in the Spain and Barcelona starting XIs has rarely come under fire. That shouldn't be the case anymore. Vicente del Bosque needs to make an example of Pique and demonstrate that nobody can coast on reputation going into 2014.

Here are three other players who need to improve before the World Cup.

Alvaro Arbeloa, Spain

As bad as Pique was, he was miles better than Alvaro Arbeloa. It's never a good sign when a healthy player is subbed off at halftime. That's exactly what happened to Arbeloa, as he was taken off after getting manhandled by Neymar in the first half.

It was the kind of performance that makes you wonder if he'll ever get meaningful minutes for the national team ever again, as football writer Matthew Stanger pointed out.

Words can't really express how awful Arbeloa was. Neymar is no doubt a skilled footballer. The way he was able to run with the ball, though, made it seem like Spain didn't even have a right-back. Spain essentially conceded the left flank every time Brazil got the ball on the counter.

If—and this is a big if—Arbeloa has any future with the national team, he'll have to demonstrate that he's a much better player than he was on Sunday.

Fernando Torres, Spain

Fernando Torres continues to be a paradox. He has what is largely considered yet another poor international tournament, but he left the Confederations Cup with the Golden Boot, per the Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck.

Take out the four goals against Tahiti, and Torres was very underwhelming. It's a problem that Del Bosque needs to solve before the World Cup.

Spain have gone with a lot of different looks at centre-forward. Roberto Soldado got a bit of a run-out at the Confederations Cup, but Torres seemed to be Del Bosque's favorite.

Much like with Pique, it's hard to continue justifying Torres' spot in the starting XI. He's doesn't play well enough with his club or the national team to warrant playing a key role.

Torres does have a year to possibly find new surroundings and find a bit of consistency on the pitch.

Marcelo, Brazil

Marcelo didn't have a terrible game. In fact, he was very good for much of the final. He did, though, concede the penalty that gave Spain their best chance to score.

You don't question the talent for Marcelo. He's a very good left-back. Unfortunately, he's prone to some silly mistakes and can get caught too far forward.

Both of those problems were on display at points during the final. Aside from the foul, Marcelo was having a hard time pinning down Jesus Navas on the wing. Navas' performance made you wonder why Del Bosque didn't have him out there to start the game.

Going forward, you just wonder how much Marcelo's going to be able to cut out the rash tackles and poor positioning. He could be a liability for Brazil at the World Cup.