More Transfer News

            Transfers are always talked about year-round in any sport, soccer included, and by this point there are a lot to discuss, big and small. First, someone who may have gained some more attention this summer playing for Belgium in the World Cup, Kevin De Bruyne, is currently playing in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg. Having a try at the Premier League earlier in his career at Chelsea, he never was able to fit in the system, but it seems he may be ready to have another go at it. According to The Mirror, De Bruyne may be set to move to Pellegrini’s Manchester City for 20 million pounds at the start of 2015. This move reflects Manchester City’s problems and needs right now, as their injury-laden squad could use an attacking midfielder to beef up the lineup. Also, City is looking at bringing in Spanish star Koke from Atletico Madrid. This would undoubtedly upset most fans of Atletico and Spanish soccer in general, as this move most likely take away from the momentum and progress of Atletico of recent. While this is just rumor, no tips are too far-fetched to look into or even hope for.

            One player has been on the negative side of transfer discussions recently; Fernando Torres. Since his stay at Chelsea was unproductive to say the least, Torres has not had any better luck on loan at AC Milan. Much like at Chelsea, his story has been a sad one, lacking any sort of attacking prowess and failing to convert even the simplest of goals. Liverpool has also had little luck with one transfer in particular, the one bringing in Mario Balotelli. Balotelli also seems to lack inspiration lately, and it is somewhat surprising that Liverpool is looking to bring in Torres to fill in the gap that is left up top. Personally, I don’t see how Torres’ move to Liverpool will be any better than the one to AC Milan, and I don’t see him providing any real improvement or use to the team.

            Finally, along with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, Aston Villa is also trying to bring Tom Cleverley on a permanent deal from United. While he hasn’t been able to take off and really produce at Manchester United, Cleverley has had success at Villa, and that is what they want to bring back. Villa would be able to wait out the move until the summer when the loan would be up and he would be back without Villa having to spend anything. However, Villa could use the midfielder as soon as possible, so the option to bring him back in January at 7.5 million would not be unlikely. There is still much more to look out for, and we won’t truly know what teams will do until January.

Crazyquick vs Elastico

            As winter has arrived, and practices and games are moving indoors for many soccer players, Adidas has released their indoor-specific line of shoes. All under the name of FreeFootball, the collection is made up of four different shoe styles, with a variety of indoor court and artificial turf selections. Overall, I think that the shoes have a good look to them, all offering a fairly premium look with a color scheme that adds to the quickness that they are trying to sell.

One quick look at the FreeFootball Crazyquick shoes, with any knowledge of indoor shoes, and you will see a resemblance to Nike’s Elastico Finale II. The Elastico has NikeSkin, a type of mesh synthetic upper to the shoe, and the Crazyquick employs Adidas’ own similar material. While I won’t go into major detail about the materials, they are basically both a mesh with a plastic overlay to form a flexible upper. This material then is meant to form tightly to your foot, giving a somewhat sock-like feeling in a lightweight shoe. While I haven’t been able to try on or use the Adidas Crazyquick, I do own a pair of Elastico Finales and they do a great job and feel fantastic.

 Whenever two major brands such as Nike and Adidas come out with a similar product, many are quick to point fingers at either side to label which side copied the other. As in most cases, while they may look similar, I don’t really think that any copying was involved here. First of all, shoes go into development way before their release, and while Nike released their mesh upper shoe before Adidas, it is still possible that Adidas was looking into the idea before Nike. Also, the actual basis for the upper, a mesh synthetic with a plastic overlay, is definitely the direction for soccer cleats, indoor or outdoor, as it allows for extra reinforcement where it’s needed while remaining flexible. Really, only the pattern of the upper on the Elastico is what may have influenced the Crazyquick, with a raised honeycomb-like texture across the top. However, both sides, along with many other brands have had raised elements to their shoes, and this pattern seems to make the most sense for a minimal texture.

That is pretty much where the similarities end, and the shoes offer very different performances. First, the Elastico Finale is meant to be a flexible, lightweight indoor shoe, and really became the first indoor shoe to give a sort of barefoot feel. The mesh part of the upper on the Crazyquick, unlike the Elastico, is much denser, giving a sturdier, and therefore heavier, feel. This shoe comes in at around 11 ounces, which is considered heavy by the Elastico’s standards, but a pretty average weight for an indoor model. Also, the entire back is exposed mesh, compared to the Elastico’s upper being the same all the way around. The Crazyquick comes in at about 80 dollars while the Elastico is slightly more expensive hovering just above one hundred dollars. Overall, while the material for the upper may appear similar, the shoes fill completely different categories of the game, and both options well suit players that prefer either style.

The Future of Chelsea

            After a fairly successful season so far, Chelsea manager Jose Morinho continues to discuss his actions during the transfer season and still backs them up. Talking about Frank Lampard, long time Chelsea player, Morinho stresses that he still believes that the loss of him was the right thing for the club. "He left Chelsea as a free agent and chooses his life, we can't complain about it, that's football. It's his life, nothing to do with us. We made the right decision.”(World Soccer Talk) He continues, stating that the future of the club lies with new players such as Cesc Fabregas, Matic, and Boga. He believes that Lampard’s run at Chelsea had run its course, and Chelsea needed to move on, and I can’t help but believe him. With a 2-0 win against Hull City recently and good season by many standards, you can’t really argue with the changes that have been made. Morinho and his decisions have proven to be effective so far, and I think they will be in the future of the club.

Liverpool and United

            During a crucial game today between Liverpool and Manchester United, something was shown about both sides that has been prevalent all season and will continue to affect the way the season ends for the teams. Over the last week and a half, Liverpool has been having a sort of dry spell, falling out of the Champions League, nearing elimination from the Capital One Cup, and having a tough league ahead of them. While, besides goalie De Gea, Manchester United were nowhere near their best, the way that Liverpool played made it so that they didn’t have to be, and the two teams have essentially switched positions in the league standings from last year. Although the loss was full of misfortune, Liverpool still were at fault for the lack of form, and a complete turn around is needed if they want any chance in any league or tournament.

            Part of this fault on Liverpool rests with its manager, Brendan Rodjers, and his decisions before major games. In this game, for example, he decided to sit Simon Mignolet and play Brad Jones in goal instead. Let’s just say that Jones’ performance sharply contrasted that of De Gea and his outstanding performance. This problem goes all the way back to the summer when Liverpool, despite picking up 9 players in total, neglected the need for a goalkeeper. Obviously, the value and role of a goalkeeper was shown by Manchester United, and it should definitely be on Liverpool’s list come January.

            While transfers are to blame on the Liverpool side, there is little to thank them for on the Manchester United side. All of the starting eleven in the game were inherited by Louis Van Gaal, and look at what they were able to do against a somewhat formidable opponent from the Premier League. As top clubs, Manchester United included, spend hundreds of millions of dollars each transfer season, it leaves us to wonder what the point is. It makes sense to spend money to bring in a new player for a position that just wasn’t working out before, but to spend money just to get named players is just foolish. Looking at many performances such as Manchester United where previous players did well or Barcelona where loads of spending don’t provide any real benefits in the end, it seems that clubs are going about it all wrong. Really, teams should just develop the players they have and put the money into their current players and making them better. When players are easily replaceable, there is no real sense of lasting connection between players and there is no team, leading to a disconnect between players, managers, and fans.