Alex Finnis and Oliver Todd cast their fashion-keen eyes over the best and worst of next season’s football shirts.
BARCELONA AWAY
This Barcelona away kit is a huge improvement on some of their recent efforts, particularly the awful orange and yellow gradient number from last season. This strip features the colours of the Catalan flag, and the hoops on the sleeves are a particularly nice touch. If only Barca would go back to the old days of doing away with a sponsor and this would be perfect.
CHELSEA HOME
Simple and effective – Chelsea have gone back to basics with this season’s home shirt. No more gold trim, no hoops, just the traditional royal blue and white – and it works. Adidas pushed the kit with a strong marketing campaign: “It’s blue, that’s all that matters” went the slogan, accompanied by some of the players fully submerged in blue paint. I think they got the message.
PSG HOME
Mega-rich PSG have gone for a tri-tone design with a new adaption of their current kit. Whilst it is not going to be modelled by David Beckham next season following his retirement, the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the bald-headed Christophe Jallet will be looking magnificent, trotting around the pitches of Europe on a quest for Champions League glory.
NEWCASTLE ‘KEEPER AWAY
Newcastle’s Tim Krul – provided he doesn’t end up elsewhere during the summer break – will be sporting this rather garish sky blue number next season. With new sponsors wonga dominating the midriffs of their ‘keepers for the coming season, this terrible outfit is topped off and finishes top of the table for awful shirts. At least that’ll be some success for manager Alan Pardew…
MARSEILLE AWAY
Marseille have gone with one of the more bizarre designs of next season’s kits. Known for their unique kits, the south coast outfit seem to have some sort of ridiculous pocket embroidery. It’s also not helped by the weird patterns across the sleeves and sides of the shirt. Whilst l’OM tend to get it right with their bizarre kits – this one simply misses the mark.
LIVERPOOL AWAY
This looks like it’s come off the shelves of Topman rather than the high-tech football kit laboratories of today. I’m not sure what Warrior were going for with the awful pattern on the bottom of the shirt, I’m not even sure how to describe it, but I do know it is just about the worst thing ever. It looks like one of Raheem Sterling’s kids has thrown up all over it. I’m off to the toilet.
Once the players wear Marseille kit on the field it’ll look really good. Just have to grow to love it.