Adidas F50 Adizero Synthetic Warning/Black Just Arrived

After my preview post of the Adidas F50 Adizero, the boots have finally arrived at my doorstep. After unboxing them and snapping some photos, I quickly took to the field for a quick jogging session to see how the boots felt out of the box.

While the full review will be up in a week or so, I can tell you a couple of things from my first run around in the cleats. Putting them on is a wonderful experience, the lightness just makes you want to run around and jump.

The "Ultralight" and "Comfort" insoles side by side

In my short session I went with the "Ultralight" insoles and then switched to the "Comfort" insoles to see if I could notice the difference. While I experienced to discomfort or problems breaking them in with the "Ultralight" insoles, the "Comfort" insoles were obviously much more comfortable yet slightly (barely noticeably) heavier.

While some might stray away from the idea of a synthetic upper, I'm finding it to be quite nice. I haven't tested the ball touch or striking of the cleats, and I'm not sure what to expect. Check out the full review soon if you're interested in seeing how they perform.

They're certainly shaping up to be a fantastic pair of cleats, and I'll have the review up soon. A big thanks to SoccerPro for supplying the cleats!

PFA 2011 Player of the Year Award Nominees Announced

Image from The Guardian

Every season there are players which light up the Premier League. This season there have been quite a few, some performing consistently and others maybe a little less. The PFA awards shortlists of the season were announced, and they seem to contain all the necessary players, even if they had to do some last minute adding on. Below are the shortlists for Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.


PFA Players’ Player of the Year nominees:

Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)
Charlie Adam (Blackpool)
Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Scott Parker (West Ham United)
Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)


PFA Young Player of the Year nominees:


Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)
Seamus Coleman (Blackpool)
Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)
Nani (Manchester United)
Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

There have been many complaints that Nani should be on the PFA Player of the Year Award Nominees, as his phenomenal play cutting inside from the wings for Manchester United helped win many matches. Seeing him on the Young Player list is a little strange, but I guess it is a form of recognition.

So who do you think will win the awards? I think I'll go with Scott Parker and Nani. What about you? Share your winners below!

Schalke Stun Inter Milan in 5-2 Away Victory

Edu scored two goals against Inter Milan

It really is rare seeing eleven goals scored in just two matches. Thanks to some brash decision-making, poor defending and wonderful moments of brilliance, fans got to see two amazing matches between Schalke 04 and Inter Milan and Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur. The final scores of the matches were a spectacular 5-2 win for Schalke 04, and a dominant 4-0 win for Real Madrid.

In Milan, Italian fans at the San Siro were very disappointed with their team's display. Although Inter Milan were a goal up after just 24 seconds, things ended up poorly for the nerazzurri. It was Stankovic's brilliant first time strike from Neuer's clearance which flew into the empty net. The Serbian scored from just past halfway, without the ball bouncing even once on the ground during his spectacular volley. While Stankovic's goal might've been the best I've seen this season, Matip's scrappy effort equalized for Schalke about 15 minutes later.

Milito putting Inter in front 2-1, but only temporarily...

At 1-1, Inter continued to push forward, and eventually restored their lead with Diego Milito scoring from a well crafted move which finished in the Argentine's tap-in. But yet again, Inter saw their hard work disappear when broke through the disorganized backline and shot at Julio Cesar. While the Brazilian keeper saved the shot, Edu quickly tapped-in the rebound to send the teams equal at halftime with the score at 2-2.

While the Italian fans expected a reaction in the second half from Inter, it was quite the opposite. Schalke came out and scored three with Raul and Edu both getting goals, along with an unlucky own goal for Andrea Ranocchia. The match finished 5-2 for Schalke, a truly amazing away display from the Germans. Inter now need to travel to Germany in the second leg and win by at least four goals if they want to progress, something which seems very difficult with their shaky back-line.

Milan Derby an Important Test for Both Managers

Perhaps Massimiliano Allegri said it best when talking about this upcoming derby della madonnina between AC Milan and Inter Milan.

"It's the match all of Italian soccer waits for, media and players together: it's a match inside a match." 

The AC Milan coach is right, because at the beginning of the season I always mark down the dates of the Milan derby. This season's second derby of the season seems to hold quite a bit of importance, even if some are trying to downplay the significant repercussions from a loss. But the result won't have massive mathematical impact considering that the top three sides in the Serie A are all within three points of each other.

But what were to happen if AC Milan lost to this inspired Inter side? A debut derby victory (as a manager) for Leonardo would put Inter in first place ahead of AC Milan. While they'd lead their city cousins by only one point, the psychological boost for the nerazzurri would be immense. A victory for Inter Milan would also bring Napoli and Udinese a bit closer to title aspirations, tightening up the Serie A season for an exciting finish.

But there's a match to be played first, and there are a few missing players for both sides. One of the most notable ones is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who's rib cracking (it wasn't actually rib cracking, but it must've hurt) punch on Bari's Marco Rossi earned him a three game suspension. The Inter defender who would've marked Ibrahimovic won't be playing either, as Lucio is also suspended. Because of those two absences, it looks like the Brazilian duo of Robinho and Pato will take on the central defensive pairing of Chivu and Ranocchia.

It will be Leonardo's first derby as the Inter Milan coach, and the Brazilian said a few things regarding the match, and what the derby encases:

"It will be an extraordinary match. A derby goes beyond any tactical reasoning, there are many feelings especially because the two top teams of the table are facing each other, at a distance of just two points. All of the players know each other, there's nothing to discover or invent. At a psychological level the derby brings lots of energy, but at a mathematical level it isn't decisive."

Whatever happens tomorrow at the San Siro, many will be watching. Whether they want to see a spectacular match which hasn't produced a draw in the past 14 times played, or they're just interested in the final result, people will be watching. Two men on the sidelines will be yelling at their players for 90 minutes, mainly because at the end of the day this match will have an effect on who will win the Serie A, no matter what anyone says.