ADIDAS LIVERPOOL THIRD AND CHELSEA AWAY KIT
Adidas have unveiled Liverpool’s new third and Chelsea’s away kits for the 2010/11 season:
Adidas Liverpool Third Kit
Design
The new black kit is Liverpool FC’s 3rd kit for the 2010/11 season. The kit incorporates adidas TechFit™ technology and the club’s world famous badge has been updated for the new season. A new laser cut woven crest replaces the heavier direct embroidery technique traditionally used, resulting in a thinner, lighter badge on a sleeker shirt.
Technology
adidas again push the boundaries in the development of apparel technology with shirt evolution moving one step further in giving Liverpool FC players the edge on the pitch:
TechFit™ – On the field of play the players’ kits will incorporate adidas’ cutting edge TechFit™ technology, to help improve speed, increased endurance capabilities and enhanced proprioception. This works by stabilizing and focusing the muscles’ energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output
Climacool -The shirts also feature adidas ClimaCool™ technology, a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics which improve air flow to the skin in the key heat zones.
Available to buy: 12th August, 2010
Visit www.liverpoolfc.tv/store for all the information on the new kit
Adidas Chelsea Away Kit
Design
The new black and orange Chelsea away kit will be worn for the first time on August 4th 2010 vs Hamburg. Notably for the first time in club football, adidas TechFit™ features directly in the playing shirt, enhancing muscle performance. The kit has a contemporary design with mesh integrated into the main body of the jersey. The finished fabric helps create a striking design with the performance benefit of wicking sweat away from the body.
Technology
adidas again push the boundaries in the development of apparel technology with shirt evolution moving one step further in giving Chelsea FC players the edge on the pitch:
TechFit™ – On the field, the players’ kits will incorporate adidas’ cutting edge TechFit™ technology, to help improve speed, increased endurance capabilities and enhanced muscle focus proprioception. This works by stabilizing and focusing the muscles’ energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output
Climacool -The shirts also feature adidas ClimaCool™ technology, a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics which improve air flow to the skin in the key heat zones.
Available to buy: 5th August 2010
Visit www.chelseafc.com/megastore for all the information on the new kit.
LIVERPOOL AWAY KIT FROM ADIDAS
We make the shirt. You make it Liverpool FC
That is the tagline Adidas have used with the release of the new Liverpool away kit for the 2010/11 season. Rafa Benitez won’t be the man picking the team next season and you wonder which of the current stars will be wearing this kit come the new season. Is this the last time you will see Steven Gerrard in a Liverpool shirt. We will have to wait and see…
The white shirt features a red pin stripe design and is a throw back to the shirts worn in the 70’s and 80’s. The red Adidas detailing and red and black collar add to the design which also features Liverpool’s new shirt sponsor ‘Standard Chartered’ on the front.
ADIDAS SWAP A LIVERPOOL SHIRT FOR YOURS
Yesterday the new Liverpool FC home shirt went on sale and to celebrate adidas arranged an interesting activity.
adidas make the new Liverpool FC kit, but the fans make the club. To celebrate them and the new home shirt going on sale adidas went to Williamson Square in the heart of Liverpool and gave hundreds of fans the chance to do a swap: give us the shirt on your back and we’ll give you the new home shirt.
NEW ADIDAS LIVERPOOL KIT 10/11
Liverpool FC and adidas today unveiled the new home shirt for the 2010/11 season, featuring for the first time renowned adidas TechFit technology.
Inspiration
The brand new Home kit features a jacquard design, taking inspiration from the strip worn during the triumphant 1989/90 title winning season.
Design
The new red kit is steeped in history and tradition but with a stylish modern twist. For the first time in club football, adidas TechFit features directly in a playing shirt. The club’s world famous badge is also updated. A new laser cut woven crest replaces the heavier direct embroidery technique traditionally used, resulting in a thinner, lighter badge on a sleeker shirt.
Technology
adidas again push the boundaries in the development of apparel technology with shirt evolution moving one step further in giving Liverpool FC players the edge on the pitch:
TechFit™ – On the field of play the players’ kits will incorporate adidas’ cutting edge TechFit™ technology, to help improve speed, increased endurance capabilities and enhanced proprioception. This works by stabilizing and focusing the muscles’ energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output
Climacool -The shirts also feature adidas ClimaCool™ technology, a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics which improve air flow to the skin in the key heat zones.
For the launch of the new shirt adidas and Liverpool FC are looking to involve the hugely passionate supporters of the club with a unique online activity. Fans can upload their pictures to sit alongside players making up the jacquard design of the new shirt. Liverpool FC supporters can be part of this activity by logging on to www.liverpoolfc.tv/store
Nick Craggs, Marketing Director, adidas Area North said “Both adidas and Liverpool FC have a long and proud heritage in football and we are delighted the club will be wearing such a technologically advanced shirt next season.”
Ian Ayre, Liverpool FC Commercial Director said: ”We are very excited about launching the first of 3 new shirt designs for the 2010/11 season. The new home kit combines our authentic all red colour with a fresh and striking design featuring our 2010/11 shirt sponsor Standard Chartered Bank.”
The new kit will be available from 6th May
*On an interesting side note: Notice Gerrard and Kuyt in the yet to be released Predator X Champions White/Blue version which is due out next season.*
DID TORRES DIG HIS (LIVERPOOL’S) OWN GRAVE? THE HOT HEAD VS THE COOL HEAD
There are very few match ups in football that are played with such passion, intensity and fire as the Liverpool v Manchester United derby. Last Saturday was the 21st of March 2010 and Manchester United played host to their Merseyside neighbours at Old Trafford. Liverpool have come away with three wins out of their last three meetings with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United. However Liverpool’s frustration has been growing over the years as they have watched United (under Sir Alex), catch, equal and now possibly even surpass their record number of League titles. 18 is the number they now find themselves tied on and that certainly won’t be improved upon by Liverpool this season. United, on the other hand have a great chance of becoming the all time leading title winning club in England. Liverpool are stuck in a battle (an uphill one) to secure a place in the Champions League next season – something they will need to do in order to retain their service of stars such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Both players are winners. They want to win. No. They need to win. Losing is not a disappointment; it is a disease they avoid at any cost. All this came to a climax last Saturday.
Fernando Torres (still not fully match fit) found himself in acres of space and slotted home a brilliant header to give Liverpool the lead at Old Trafford. His joy was short-lived however as Mascherano brought down Valencia in the box to concede (an obvious) penalty. Any team will contest a penalty decision and so it was with Liverpool. Torres’ frustration boiled over and what resulted was an intriguing series of events. Torres, who was standing on the penalty spot swung his leg widely and removed a chunk of green from the spot. Was it cheating? Some will say he could have been carded for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’. Whether or not he deserved a card isn’t all that important. Nor is it important whether or not he was deliberately trying to ‘cheat’. Rooney’s penalty wasn’t the best but in the end he did slot it home as Reina’s parry only helped it back into the England hitman’s path. The significance of the ‘hacked’ piece of turf may just have had great impact on the game in the second half. With the score poised at 2-1 (advantage United), Gerrard received a ball on the right flank and whipped it across the box towards Torres. The Spaniard got an unlucky bobble and the ball went spiraling off his shin. After studying the reply over and over, I am pretty convinced that the ball bounced up off the very divot dug up earlier by the striker. Poetic justice? Maybe it served him right. I’m not saying that Liverpool deserved to score, nor that United won because of fate. What I am saying however is that maybe, just maybe Torres dug his own grave. The striker would normally have buried that shot. Instead his side left empty handed and face finishing as low as 7th.
Rooney points to the spot after Torres took out his frustration.
Last night Manchester City, in their efforts to secure a win that would promote them to pole sitters in the race for 4th , allowed themselves to be out-thought, out-played and out- ‘cooled’ by Eveton. What do I mean by ‘out -cooled’? The title race and the battle for 4th are incredibly tight – possibly the tightest ever! The winners will be the team that can hold their nerve. Cool heads – that is what is needed. When the pressure is on and you need to be cool, the result can depend on who has the ‘bottle’ and who gets ‘bottled’. Torres showed a lack of ‘coolness’ when he had his little tantrum. It may have come back to bite him… United have won the League for the last three years in a row, not because they are the best squad, but because they are the ‘kings of cool’. When a cool head is needed, United have one. Even Rooney, the ‘perennial hothead’ is showing great maturity (and showed it with his reaction to Torres’ poor gardening skills). The old saying (at Wenger): ‘You can’t win trophies with boys’ is truer then ever. With Chelsea, United and Arsenal all in with a shot at the title, while Villa, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool all could go to Europe next year, the test of ‘coolness’ is on. Spurs have shown before that they can’t take the heat, but that was a long time ago and with a very different squad. Now that test (and pressure) is on. Torres lacked composure. Who else will kick the proverbial penalty spot and see the title ball bounce unluckily off their expensively-assembled-squad boot and watch their glorious chance of glory loop agonizingly over the goal mouth of success? Keep your nerve, have a cool head and you will reap the reward of not seeing your lack of self control coming back to bite you in the bum… à la Torres!
GERRARD GETS WAXED
With Liverpool’s season as up and down as it’s been, Rafa would have been wishing he had Steven Gerrard(s) to rely on. Well thanks to Madame Tussauds he could have one on the pitch and one on the bench.
The Liverpool captain recently joined David Beckham in wax. After 300 precise measurements, a truck load of photographs and 4 months of labour, £150,000 has been spent on making the life-like wax model. Complete with Gerrard’s Liverpool kit and trademark Adidas Predator boots, the giant candle is the second footballer to enter the museum.
“It’s an absolute thrill to have my very own figure at Madame Tussauds.” said Gerrard.
WHERE DID SIR ALEX GO WRONG? OR WHERE DID RAFA GET IT RIGHT?
The weekend is over and the biggest talking point will be the result of the match between Liverpool and Manchester United. On most accounts it was a game for United to lose – which is exactly what they did.
So where did Sir Alex go wrong?
I mentioned in my match review that Rafa often gets criticized for his team selection but that I thought Sir Alex had got it wrong this time and Rafa – spot on.
First of all: defense. I could give 4/4 to Sir Alex for his defensive selections. Most people would have done the same. Vidic has had a poor run against Liverpool but I still would have picked him. The same can be said for Rio, who is not at his best. Evra seemed rather uninterested and had a poor game. Maybe Fabio could have played but risking the youngster would have been just that: a risk. O’Shea on the right, did the job, I guess but I still feel that United miss Rafael! Taking one step back however, I didn’t leave thinking ‘thank goodness we have Edwin back!’ Foster did have a couple of dodgy moments but Edwin was hardly convincing either.
Midfield is where it all went wrong for United I thought (and by implication where Rafa showed his class). Ryan Giggs has been in the form of his life and you can’t blame Sir Alex for picking him. Valencia has been good so no surprises there. Carrick is a solid midfielder and I’m happy with his selection. That brings me to Paul Scholes. The man is brilliant, of that there is no doubt. He is also old. I think that the pace of the Premier League has left him behind. I would use him as a sub to close out games and in Europe. Anderson’s work rate and energy was sorely missed on Saturday. Nani may not always be top draw but he gives United something different – something they needed! I would have gone Nani, Carrick, Anderson/Giggs, Valencia. I give Sir Alex’s midfield a 2/4 because even though Giggs was there, he is too slow as a winger now days.
All that said what United missed the most was Owen Hargreaves. Estimated to be 6 weeks away from returning, Owen Hargreaves is the piece of the puzzle United need the most! Mascherano is 70% of the reason Liverpool got three points yesterday. Hargreaves could have done the same for United.
I would have picked Rooney and Berbatov (so 2/2 for Fergie) but they hardly had anything to work with.
Liverpool were too strong and too quick for the United’s midfield and that is where the game was lost (or won in the case of Liverpool). United played with too much patience and not enough drive. Both Nani and Anderson could have helped with that.
In the end all credit must go to Liverpool for the pressure they put on United. They played better than they have all season. Time will tell if, like last year, Liverpool get bragging rights for the games against United. But the champions may still be crowned Champions again.
LIVERPOOL MAY HAVE NOTHING TO BLAME
Liverpool will host champions Manchester United this weekend and what a game it promises to be.
I have been a soccer fan for a long time now but one of the games that really sparked my passion for football was on the 25th of May 2005.
Liverpool squared up to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League final. Milan fired 3 past the Reds. Before anyone had sat down Milan where 1-0 up. The rest is history. Liverpool won in true English football fashion. One of the heroes of the night was Vladimír Šmicer. Who you ask? Well that is just my point – but I’ll get back to that shortly. Liverpool helped turn football from an interest into a passion for me. For that I will always be grateful! I have always, when asked, said that I am an England fan first. You can’t watch every game that is played so you have to choose one team to follow. Manchester United became that team for me. Hotspur under Ramos had a “buy English” policy that caused me to have a secret love affair with them. Liverpool still have the best English midfielder in Gerrard. I can watch any one of them and enjoy it.
I say all of this to let everyone know that although I love Man Utd I’m not biased in my opinion of other teams. Sure I enjoy a little banter. United have won the last three years after all… All that is to follow is not written in a United-fan-mocking way. Rather it is written as a football fan who has picked up some interesting facts.
Now back to Vladimír Šmicer. I have no idea who that is. I watched that game in 05. He scored Liverpools 2nd goal and their final penalty. Now however he is gone. Liverpool have had a massive amount of people come through their doors in recent times.
To jump straight to the point:
Liverpool lost against Sunderland because of their lack of squad depth. Liverpool without Gerrard and Torres are just another mid-table team. It’s true. Rafa has had a lot to say about the fact that United have more money available to them than he does but let’s look at some figures.
Since Rafa arrived in 2004 Liverpool have brought in 48 players. United have brought in 30. Liverpool had 18 players more – that’s a full team and bench!
Now, Liverpool signed Torres for a record £26.5 million. United signed Berbatov for the large sum of £30.7 million. Not all that much more really. The thing is however, United spent more on a single player but lets look at this:
Keane: £19, Bellamy: £6, Gonzalez: £4, Pennant: £6. Add that all up and you get a whopping £35 million! See where I’m going?
United may have spent large amounts of money on a single player but they buy the players that will do something for the squad. Out of the 48 Rafa has brought in, how many would be in the first 11 or even on the bench for other teams? You don’t see people ramming down the door to sign Ngog or Voronin.
Where I think Sir Alex has got it right (and therefore Rafa, wrong) is that he brought in the players his side needed to be strengthened. He needed a midfielder, so he bought Carrick. It cost him £18 million but since his arrival United have won three league titles and the UEFA Champions league and…
Rafa buys 10 young unknown players. Some of them work out. Some of them don’t. Sir Alex buys one or two expensive established players, and 4 unknown talents.
The thing is if you made a combined Liverpool/Man Utd 11 how many players from Liverpool would be in the side? Torres – definitely. Gerrard, I think because he is so good you dare not leave him out, not because United lack Midfield options. Carragher – maybe? That’s probably about all.
Liverpool are in desperate need of a good game this weekend. United need to close games out better. It will be very interesting to see how the match plays out. United are not in the best of form – Liverpool’s is even worse. Matches like this however always cause teams to play above themselves. I’m pretty sure that however close the game is to call, Liverpool without Torres and Gerrard have no chance at all! United could miss Rooney and that would be a blow but they have £60 million worth of PROVEN talent to fall back on. Rafa, for all the money he has spent, probably only has about £20 million. And it’s all his own fault.
The table above represents the clubs net spending per season since the arrival of Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.
Image from The Transfer League:
