BOOT SPOTTING 12-13 MAY
After one of the most dramatic final days of the Premier League in history, we at TRW have set about to give you one final boot spot article from the Premier League’s weekend action.
We start with the boots that earned Manchester City the title. Sergio Aguero started the season in a host of different boots before finally signing for Puma and has since worn V1.11 boots. Aguero was spotted midweek in a fancy looking unreleased pair of Puma boots so we look forward to what the German brand has in store for the upcoming season and Euro 2012.
Puma have had a strong season with the likes of Aguero added to their roster. Michael Carrick has worn Puma boots for a number of seasons. Carrick had delayed a switch into Puma’s Blue/Black/White/Orange Powercat 1.12 colourway but made the switch on the final day of the season - perhaps because they match his United away kit so well.
With Euro 2012 around the corner there is a lot of debate about which England strikers Roy Hodgson will take with him to Poland and Ukraine. Jermain Defoe is one player who has impressed despite finding opportunities for game time proving few and far between. Defoe has switched between AdiZero II and MiCoach AdiZero boots since the latter’s release.
Another player who has divided opinion is Liverpool’s Andy Carroll. Carroll has hit good form recently for Liverpool and his inclusion would be less of a surprise now than it would have been a few months ago. Umbro would love to have the striker involved as he could then wear the St George collection Speciali III boots.
One player who many feel might be worth the risk is Norwich’s Grant Holt. Holt has had a hugely impressive season for Norwich and has been instrumental in helping the Canaries stay in the Top flight this season. Holt began the season in Umbro Stealth Pro II boots but ended in Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots.
Chelsea have had a strong end to the season and with 6 place secure chose to rest some key men ahead of their Champions league Final this coming weekend and give a few younger players a chance to impress. One of them was 21 year old Sam Hutchinson who made his first season start for the Blues wearing Adidas AdiPure 11Pro boots.
The Adidas Predator LZ has dominated our boot spots recently. This week a few more players caught the eye in Adidas’ 12th Predator. Everton’s Phil Jagielka has had rough season due to injuries. Jagielka will possibly miss out on the Euros due to this but may find himself paying for Team GB in the Olympics wearing the new Predator LZ.
Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny had a slow start to his English Premier League career but since settling down has been part of the reason the Gunners had such a strong end to the season. Koscielny has worn Predator X, AdiPower Predators and now Predator LZ boots in his time at the Emirates.
Wigan escaped relegation for the 2nd season in a row thanks in part to Franco Di Santo. After failing to impress at Chelsea Di Santo moved to Wigan also wearing Predator X, AdiPower Predators and now Predator LZ boots.
Our final boot spot of the season is one of our favourites Jon Walters. Walters has featured in our articles a few times this season and once again caught our eye after wearing the new alternate Infrared/Black/White colourway.
BOOT SPOTTING 5-6 MAY
This weekend had plenty of action and excitement to catch the eye but what stole the headlines was the new Adidas Predator LZ that made its official on-field debut this weekend. We love bringing you the best boots spots from the Premier League and once again we start the week off of with our famous Monday morning boot spots – or should we say LZ spots…
We start off with Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool captain was spotted in training wearing the new LZ but opted for his Black/Warning AdiPower Predators for the FA Cup Final. Gerrard is well known to be a fan of black boots and may actually take some convincing to into the LZ.
It looked as though we wouldn’t get to see the LZ in the FA Cup Final after both Gerrard and Cech wore AdiPowers but we did finally get out first glimpse of the Infrared/Black/White colourway when Dirk Kuyt came off the bench for the Reds. We are not surprised the Liverpool players were given the Infrared colourway rather than the Blue one as it goes perfectly with their Adidas home kit.
Scott Parker’s injury has allowed Brazilian Sandro to get an extended run in Spur’s midfield. Sandro went straight into the new LZ as Spurs took on Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Samir Nasri played a mokor part in the tease campaign of the new Predator LZ so it was no surprise to see the City midfielder wearing the new Bright Blue/Infrared/Collegiate Navy/White Predator.
We were a little surprise to see that Robin Van Perise was not involved in the LZ tease campaign. The Dutch forward has been in spectacular form this season in the AdiPower and continued that form in the LZ hitting a brace against Norwich on Saturday.
Van Perise was joined in the LZ by teammate Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey has been in the AdiPure 11 Pro since their release but has now made the switch from the AdiPure to the new Predator.
Possibly the most surprising LZ spotting of the weekend came in Everton’s game against Wolves. Nikica Jelavic has been a revelation since joining Everton. Jelavic has done all his scoring in Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots however this weekend Jelavic wore the new Predator LZ.
Although the LZ drew most of our attention it didn’t escape us that Stewart Downing gave a brand new AdiZero colourway their official debut. Downing came out in the new AdiZero colourway that Adidas have lined up as part of their European Championship range. Stay tuned to TRW as we will being you a full review of the new colourways soon.
Adidas released the White/Black/Red colourway as an alternate colourway that was not set for any on field support. They have however been worn by a few players in the Premier League such as Bolton’s Martin Petrov.
We were a little surprised to see Stoke’s Kenwayne Jones also sporting the alternate White/Black/Red AdiZero colourway. Jones has been wearing Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots but has switched from a leather to a synthetic boot.
BLUE SQUARE PAYING OUT ON BLUE FUTURE FOR DI MATTEO
Despite falling behind in the race for 4th after last night’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, leading interactive betting company Blue Square is throwing its support behind Roberto Di Matteo by paying out early on the Swiss-born coach in the next Chelsea manager market.
As speculation continues ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup Final showdown with Liverpool, Blue Square is rewarding punters who have shown faith in Di Matteo keeping the Stamford Bridge hotseat.
Last week’s resignation of Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola led to increased speculation that the Spaniard was being lined up for the Chelsea job and that Di Matteo was for the exit, but what has he done wrong?
Blue Square spokesperson Alan Alger said: “To be honest if you look at what he’s achieved in the short time he’s been Chelsea caretaker boss it’s utter nonsense that other candidates are even being considered.
“Irrespective of what happens in the FA Cup Final, we think Di Matteo is the man and we’re happy to pay out on him now.”
CASTROL EDGE: MANCHESTER DERBY
Today sees arguably the most significant Manchester derby ever as the winner will hold pole position in the race for the title. The overall head to head record show Manchester United having won 67 of the derbies while City have won 44 with 50 ending in a draw.
The previous time these two teams met City came out comprehensive winners when they humiliated United 6-1 at Old Trafford. United have the opportunity for revenge as victory over City will mean they need just 1 point from their final two games to secure their 20th title.
Ahead of tonight’s potentially explosive match Castrol Edge takes a look at some of the key performers from the Blue and Red side of Manchester.
CARLOS TEVEZ VITAL TO CITY SUCCESS
Castrol EDGE performance data shows that Carlos Tevez has been involved in a goal every 55 minutes for Manchester City this season, a better ratio than any other player in the Premier league this season.
Among players who have had a hand in at least five of their side’s league goals this season, the Argentinean has proved the most efficient, finding the net four times and setting three other goals.
His partnership with Sergio Agüero has kept City’s hopes alive of a first Premier League crown: in the 304 minutes they have enjoyed together on the pitch, both players have scored a grand total of 11 goals (seven for Agüero and four for Tevez).
TOP TWO KEEPERS GO HEAD TO HEAD IN MANCHESTER DERBY
Ahead of Monday night’s crucial Manchester derby, Castrol EDGE performance data shows that the best two goalkeepers in the Premier League this season will be playing a big role in the outcome.
Manchester City’s Joe Hart has been the standout goalkeeper in the Premier League this season, topping the goalkeeping standings for save percentage (77.5%), clean sheets (15) and clean sheet percentage (43%). Despite a poor start to the season, the improvement of Manchester United’s David De Gea has been impressive, so much so that he sits second only to Hart in saves-to-shots ratio (76.7%) and clean sheet percentage (42%).
When directly comparing the two goalkeepers, Hart also holds a significant edge in minutes per goal conceded, with a miserly one goal conceded every 117 minutes compared to De Gea’s 84. However, De Gea’s shot-stopping ability has been one of the main reasons for Manchester United’s rise to the top of the table, with the Spaniard boasting a superior 3.5 saves per match compared to Hart’s 2.7.
VINTAGE SCHOLES IS SHOWING THE WAY FOR UNITED
Castrol EDGE performance data shows that Paul Scholes has played the most minutes in the Premier League this season without ever losing.
The Manchester Utd veteran has been on the pitch 933 minutes in the Premier League since making his return last January and has never ended on the losing side.
Incidentally, his first game back for the Red Devils was at Eastlands against Manchester City in an FA Cup 3rd round tie on 8 January when he came on as a second-half sub – he only missed two of his 71 passes on that afternoon, proof that class is permanent.
Top 3 most minutes played without losing in the PL this season
BOOT SPOTTING 28-29 APRIL
The biggest game of the weekend happens this evening but there was still plenty of action and great boot spots in the Premier League on Saturday and Sunday. As usual TRW brings you the very best boot spots from the Premier League this weekend.
This weekend saw some pretty spectacular goals scored – one of which was Tottenham Hotspur and England fullback Kyle Walker’s long range free-kick. In his interview after the game, newly crowned Young Player of the Year Walker said that he ‘just felt it’. Walker had been wearing an older pair of Blue/Orange Umbro GT II Pro boots but was back in the current Silver/Red colourway this weekend.
It has been a big week for Umbro who launched their St George collection ahead of the Euros. Unfortunately we will not see the collection in the Premier League this season. Otherwise we may have seen the likes of Aston Villa’s Stephan Warnock wearing a pair instead of this Black/White/Blue colourway.
Despite having the kit matching Soar/Black/Silver T90 Laser IV colourway available, Fernando Torres has stuck with the launch White/Orange/Black colourway. The Spanish striker seems to be hitting some form after scoring against Barcelona midweek and finding the back of the net three times against QPR. A great time to go on a goal-scoring run – for both Chelsea and Spain.
Jose Enrique seems to have finally worn-out his Warning/Black Adidas AdiZero II boots. The ex-Newcastle fullback had worn that colourway for most of the season but has recently updated his AdiZeros to the latest Blue/Energy MiCoach colourway.
There are still plenty of players in the Premier League wearing the AdiZero II such as Swansea’s Nathan Dyer. Dyer has, like the rest of his Swansea teammates, impressed in his first season of Premier League football. Dyer seems to be a big fan of the Blue/Slime colourway having worn them for most of the season.
We were surprised to see Connor Sammon’s choice of foot wear. The Wigan forward is another player to have worn the Warning/Black AdiZero II colourway but has recently switched to one of Adidas’ White-out colourways. Back in November 2010 Adidas released a Lightning White/Cyan colourway for the original AdiZero I boots which Sammon has been in for the past few weeks.
One of our favourite colourways here at TRW this season has been Adidas’ White/Blue/Warning AdiPower Predator colourway. Everton’s Tim Cahill, who hasn’t had his best season for the Toffees, has been in them since their release. Cahill has suffered from some injury problems this season but were glad to see him hitting the back of the net this weekend and doing is signature ‘boxer’ celebration.
Our final boot spot comes from Sunderland’s James McClean. McClean was featured on our boot spots wearing a custom pair of AdiZero MiCoach boots and more recently in Vapor VIII. Now McClean has unveiled a stunning pair of Blue/White NikeID Vapor VIII boots similar to the alternate Photo Blue/Platinum/Orange Superfly III launch colourway.
BOOT SPOTTING 21-22 APRIL
The Premier took yet another remarkable twist this weekend. Tottenham Hotspur saw their Top 4 chances take a knock with a loss to QPR, Manchester United opened the door to City when they drew an 8 goal thriller with Everton while City relegated Wolves. As we love to do, TRW brings you best boot spots from the weekend’s action.
We start with the Predator LZ. This weekend Adidas unveiled the next ’Lethal Zone’ as they continue their unique build up to the new Predators’ launch. This weekend saw the ‘Sweet Spot’ highlighted. This has been the tease campaign’s most successful weekend with both Nani and Samir Nasri finding the back of the net.
The weekend kicked-off with a massive London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal. In the end the game ended goalless as both sides’ defences put on an impressive display. Chelsea’s Gary Cahill has been in fine form of late which may be due to him retiring his Stealth Pro II boots and finally getting into the new Speciali III boots.
The Stealth Pro silo was launched in December 2010 and replaced by the Geometra Pro in June last year. Cahill isn’t the only player to remain in the boots with Aston Villa’s Nathan Baker also proving to still be a fan of the Stealth Pro.
Umbro’s current line-up is the strongest it has been for awhile so it is a little surprising that so many players are opting to stick with older boots. The likes of Terry and Carroll come to mind who prefer the Speciali R over the new Speciali III, while Fulham’s Brede Hangeland goes even further back in time wearing a pair of April 2010 White/Gold/Silver Speciali boots.
Demba Ba was unstoppable when he first arrived at Newcastle scoring 15 goals before leaving in January to join Senegal at the African Cup of Nations. Ba has struggled to find the back of the net since returning from the AFCON however. We wonder if he switched back into his old pair of Anodized Purple/Electricity AdiZero II boots in an attempt to return to his prolific form.
Puma’s King SL boots were released amongst much fanfare – thanks in part to Thierry Henry’s return to England. A lack of colourway updates has seen them loose a bit of momentum however. They are still one of the classiest looking boots on the pitch in our opinion with the likes of West Brom’s Jonas Olsson wearing the launch White/Navy/Orange colourway.
We have often said how much we love a good kit and boot match. Swansea seem to have the perfect boot matching away kit with first Adidas’ Black/Warning AdiZero MiCoach complimenting it and now Scott Sinclair showed how well the new Mango/Grey Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII goes with the orange away kit.
The Mango/Grey colourway doesn’t match the Norwich kit but it does make for an eye-catching colour combination. James Vaughan was an AdiZero wearer while on loan to Crystal Palace from Everton but has been in Nike Mercurials since joining Norwich.
Mark Clattenberg’s can’t be QPR’s favourite ref. Clatternberg sent Djibril Cisse off earlier this season and showed red to Adel Taarbt this weekend (both deservedly). Clattenburg was in Nike Tiempo Legend III boots when he sent off Cisse but recently has been wearing Adidas AdiPure 11Pro boots. We would be very interested to see what his MiCoach stats are compared to the players!
BOOT SPOTTING 14-15 APRIL
This weekend saw fewer Premier League matches take place as the FA Cup semi-finals were held at Wembley. Despite few matches the weekend was still filled with some spectacular football and as usual – some great boot spots. Once again TRW presents you with the best boot spots from the Premier League – and FA Cup.
A lot has been made of the new Predator LZ and Adidas’ current marketing campaign. The multiple Lethal Zones are each being highlighted over the coming weeks and Manchester City star Samir Nasri has given us a glimpse of the Lethal Zone set to be teased this week. We previously saw the ‘First Touch’ zone but Nasri’s pair had what is usually the Predator zone highlighted.
Players facing their old clubs often results in some animosity from player’s former club. Ashley Young did himself no favours with the Villa faithful when the Manchester United winger earned his new club a penalty early in the game. It was Young’s second penalty in as many weeks – both of which were a little dubious. Young is one of Adidas’ main AdiZero wearers and currently wearers there Blue/White/Energy colourway.
Nike released the Tiempo Legend IV Elite boots almost a year ago. The IV was released in a great looking Black/White/Orange which was an instant hit with players and boot fans. Wolves’ skipper Karl Henry seems to be such a big fan that he hasn’t changed out of the colourway since their launch last June.
Another player to have stuck with a pair of launch colourway boots is West Brom’s Shane Long. Long had a great start to the season wearing Puma’s White/Black/Blue V1.11 K-Leather boots which were launched in June last year. Long later suffered from some injury problems and a resulting loss of form but has stuck with the great looking V1.11 colourway – perhaps because they match his West Brom kit so well.
Swansea has been one of the surprise packages this season. The promoted club look set to remain in the Premier League this season and have won over a few extra fans with their style of play. Swansea have a host of exciting young Welsh players on their books such as left back Neil Taylor who wears Adidas AdiPower Predator boots.
A Merseyside derby is always an exhilarating affair and the fact that this weekend’s fixture was an FA Cup semi-final only added to the drama. Liverpool went into the game with their third choice keeper Brad Jones after losing Doni and Reina due to suspension. With Joma and Lotto being the boot of choice for the other two keepers, Puma King Finale boots are a rather standard choice for Jones to wear.
The second semi-final was another derby as Chelsea and Spurs met on Sunday evening. Once again the goal-line theology debate reared its head as Chelsea were award a second goal that clearly shouldn’t have stood. In the end however Chelsea romped home to a 5-1 victory with Florent Malouda coming off the bench to score the 5th. Malouda is one of the first players we have seen to switch from Nike CTR360 boots to the new Vapor VIII.
BOOT SPOTTING 10-12 APRIL
This week we were fortunate enough to have some extra Premier League action as all the clubs were involved in midweek games. With midweek games comes midweek boot spots and here are some of the best from another enthralling set of matches.
We start with the big boot at the moment – Nike’s new Mercurial Vapor VIII. The new Vapor’s incredible start continues as more and more players switch to Nike’s speed boot and put in impressive performances wearing them. Theo Walcott has caught the eye of late and he was joined on the score sheet by fellow Vapor wearer Yossi Benayoun as Arsenal eased past Wolves.
Fulham’s Kerim Frei started his career at Craven Cottage in Adidas AdiZero boots before switching to Superfly III boots. Now the young Swiss attacking midfielder has joined Fulham teammate Clint Dempsey wearing the new Mango/Grey Vapor VIII.
Chris Eagles has worn a host of boots this season and has added the new Vapor VIII to his list. The Bolton Wanderers winger has been in the new Mango/Grey Vapor since their launch but we think the Sail/Red colourway would be a great match for his Reebok kit.
The current set of new colourways are arguably Nike’s best as all of the colourways are loved by fans and players alike. QPR’s Hungarian midfielder Akos Buzsaky added to the White/Green Tiempo’s goal tally when he slotted home to help his side past Swansea.
With likes of Bale, Adebayor and Defoe on the field one would expect the stand out AdiZero wearer to come from Spurs however it was Norwich’s Elliot Bennett who impressed when the two sides met. Spurs looked out of sorts and Norwich capitalised and grabbed all 3 points thanks to Bennett’s opening strike.
Despite having released two new colourways, Puma V1.11 wearers such as Everton’s Steven Pienaar are still in the Blue/White/Lime colourway. The Blue/White/Lime colourway was released in January with Puma releasing the Charcoal/White/Flourescent Peach and Fluorescent Pink/New Navy/White in early March.
Stoke City’s combative midfielder Wilson Palacios can’t seem to decide which Umbro boots he likes best. Palacios frequently switches between the Geometra Pro and Umbro’s new Speciali III. Palacios even did a mid-game switch when Stoke travelled Aston Villa midweek.
It hasn’t been a good few weeks for Liverpool. The Reds have an goalkeeper crisis on Merseyside after 2nd choice keeper Alexander Doni was sent off against Blackburn Rovers. Doni became the 2nd Liverpool keeper to be sent off in 2 games after Riena was set off over the weekend. Doni is the 2nd person to wear Lotto’s great looking White/Cyber Yellow Fuerzapura II L100 football boots along with Wigan’s Jordi Gomez.
There has been a lot of talk and excitement this week about the new Adidas Predator LZ. A unique tease campaign has begun, with some players wear a white/orange colourway Predator highlighting the Lethal Zones. After Manchester City’s Samir Nasri was spotted in a pair we were sure David Silva would also sport a pair. Silva turned out, and scored, for City last night still wearing AdiZero boots making us think that the Spanish star won’t be switching to the Predators when they are launched soon.
We did get a second look at the unique LZ colourway midweek however when current AdiPower wearer Nani came off the bench in a pair. Nani wore AdiZero boots before becoming one of the faces of the new AdiPower. It is no surprise then that the Manchester United star will play a part in the launch of the new Predator LZ.
BOOT SPOTTING 7-8 APRIL
With the season rapidly coming to end every game is worth keeping an eye on and with some recently released boots – and an unreleased one – on show the boots are certainly worth keep an eye on as well. Here are some of the best from this weekend.
We kick off this weekend’s article with one of our favourites – Jon Walters. The Stoke City forward must have a cupboard full of boots at home as he is forever switching between boots. We have seen him before in Pantofola d’Oro boots and we must say that these Rosso coloured Lazzarini boots are our favourite from his collection.
We were glad to see another boot spot regular DJ Campbell making his return from injury for QPR this weekend. DJ has worn some very interesting boots including Adidas’ Red/White rugby specific RS7 AdiZero. Campbell made his return against Manchester United wearing the new Nike Vapor VIII boots.
There seemed to be quite a few players trying out new boots this weekend. Bolton’s Spanish fullback Marcos Alonso has been a Nike Tiempo Legend wearer since his arrival in England but turned out against Chelsea this weekend wearing Puma PowerCat 1.12 boots.
Spurs’ on loan fullback Kyle Naughton has been sold for Norwich this season and could well be part of Harry’s plans next season. Naughton has been in Adidas AdiPure IV boots all season but recently switched to Nike CTR360 Maestri II boots.
Nike’s new Vapor VIII has had a superb start to its career with a host of non-Vapor wearers switching into the new speed boot. Serial Vapor wearers have also been quick to switch with many of them hitting the back of the net. This weekend West Brom’s Marc-Antoine Fortune joined the list of Vapor VIII wearers to score in the new boots.
There were also a few players going back to previous boots this weekend. We think Aston Villa’s James Collins is the only Premier League player to have worn Nike’s Platinum/Blue/Black CTR360 Maestri II colourway. The alternate colourway was only released in the standard version and not in the Elite version of the CTR. Collins has previously been in Dark Shadow/Volt CTRs.
David Ngog surprised us by going right back by wearing a pair of White/Black/Radiant Pink AdiZero I boots. The White/Black/Radiant Pink was a massive hit with players and fans alike when they were released in June of 2010. Ngog hasn’t been prolific in front of goal this season and perhaps thought an old pair of boots would help find the back of the net.
Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa went even further back in time when he wore a pair of Navy/White/Royal Umbro SX Valor II boots. The Umbro SX Valor II was released in December of 2008 and was worn by the likes of Chelsea’s John Terry. Figueroa seems to like older boots as the Wigan star has been in AdiZero II boots for awhile and before that remained in Predator X boots for after the AdiPower was released.
Easily the boot spot of the weekend came in the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. Victory for Arsenal meant Manchester City’s title chances are all but over. Former Gunners player Samir Nasri failed to have an impact on the game despite wearing the Adidas Predator LZ football boots. Adidas have launched a cunning campaign highlighting the new Lethal Zones on the upcoming Predator with a unique White/Infrared colourway Predator. Look out for similar LZ boots on fields as the likes of Kaka and Xavi tease the new boots.
With so many games being played today and during the week be sure to pop back soon for more of the best boots spots from the Premier League.
CASTROL EDGE: BALOTELLI MORE HASSLE THAN HE’S WORTH?
Alan Hanson recently described Mario Balotelli as “a damaging distraction at the Etihad Stadium”, highlighting the growing perception that the Italian has become more hassle than he is worth to Roberto Mancini.
However, Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that Balotelli has been one of the most dangerous strikers in the league this season, averaging a goal every 93.69 minutes. This is over ten minutes more frequent than any other player (with at least 10 goals) and comfortably superior to his team mates Edin Dzeko (1 goal per 110.77 minutes) and Sergio Agüero (1 goal per 117.8 minutes).
Minutes per goal in the 2011/12 Premier League
Unsurprisingly, this puts Balotelli in the top five conversion rates (25%) and three places higher than the league’s top scorer, Robin van Persie (23%).
Conversion rates in the 2011/12 Premier League
This weekend Arsenal could end Manchester City’s title chances as a victory over City would see them fall 8 points behind Manchester United. Balotelli has had a pretty full week having been involved in a two-car collision in Medlock Street, near Deansgate in his Bentley. The Italian striker escaped unharmed however and is expected to play some part in this weekend’s – game perhaps off the bench.
Most goals as a substitute in the 2011/12 Premier League
