The launch of the adidas Nitrocharge has left players with a tough choice to make this summer, especially central midfielders. The Nitrocharge has been aimed at the engine of the team, the box to box midfielder leaving players pondering whether they should switch from the tried and tested Predator into the new silo.
Both the Nitrocharge and Predator are packing pretty useful squads but there still seems to be some confusion over the difference in the boots. We've play tested the Nitrocharge and it's seriously comfortable, as is the Pred and there isn't much between them, they're quite similar and you may be trying to figure out which suits you best, so let's have a look which pros are Team Nitrocharge and which are Team Predator.
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What Liverpool fans would do to see these two lined up together at Anfield again. Xabi Alonso has without doubt one of the best pings in the game, his technique is effortless. The Real Madrid midfielder has been put in the Nitrocharge for the new season, he's not exactly box to box style, he lets the ball do the work but the new adidas energysling aids knocking those long balls over the top so we can see how it fits into Alonso's game.
Steven Gerrard has been playing the majority of pre-season in the adidas 11Pro but we've been informed by the Three Stripes that this is just because of a minor rubbing issue with his custom fit boots and the plan is to get him laced up in the Pred in time for the season.
Javi Martinez is a player that has made the switch from the Predator into the Nitrocharge, the Bayern midfielder is box to box, he breaks up play and gets his team on the attack. Martinez disrupted Barca's tiki-taka flow when Bayern dumped them out of the UCL, he wont give you a minute's respite.
Xavi is entering his sixteenth season as a Barcelona player and he's currently wearing his 10th Predator model. The Barca legend has worn the Accelerator, Precision, Mania, Pulse, Absolute, Powerswerve, Pred X, adiPower, LZ & LZ II. No chance of him moving into the Nitrocharge then.
Danielle De Rossi was one of the lead faces of the Nitrocharge when we flew to Barcelona to film the
official trailer. De Rossi fits into the Nitrocharge category perfectly, he's the ultimate midfielder, he can pass, shoot, head the ball and is never one to shy from a tackle, he's the sort of player no one likes playing against. He's the engine of the team, whether that's at Roma or for Italy, Mr 100%, you want him on your team.
Thomas Muller moved into the Predator LZ in 2012 after a long stint wearing the f50, the Bayern Munich midfielder is another powerful energetic player that does actually suit what the Nitrocharge is about but Muller has remained in the Predator for the new season.
Dani Alves was also heavily involved in the launch of the Nitrocharge and although he's still wearing a modified pair with an f50-esque upper, the Barca full back will be wearing the new silo again this season. Alves may not be a midfielder but he's still box to box, an unbelievable level of fitness means he's as useful on the attack as he is in defence.
Di Maria is another long term Predator player, the Real Madrid winger has been wearing the Pred since the Absolute was released in 2007 and he'll be up against Alves in el clasico action once again this season.
Antonio Nocerino joins Dani Alves in making the switch from the f50 to the Nitrocharge, the AC Milan midfielder is a battler, complete box to box, will run through brick walls optimising everything that adidas want the Nitrocharge to be.
Chelsea's Oscar is tipped for an even bigger season under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, more of a flair player than a midfield grinder, Oscar will win you games in the opposition's half with defence cutting passes rather than tracking back and putting in tackles.
Lavezzi is the only striker on the list wearing Nitrocharge, with adidas trying to get all their front men into the f50 Lavezzi's switch is somewhat of a surprise, he's more in the box than box to box. Mesut Ozil finally ended his boot dispute this summer by officially signing for adidas and has slipped straight into the Predator to pull the strings in the middle of the Bernabeu this season.
Phil Jones is one of few top Premier League players wearing Nitrocharge, the United utility man along with Jack Rodwell are the main Nitrocharge players in the Prem after David Silva recently started wearing the Pred. Staying in the Premier League and one of the top Pred players in England this season is Juan Mata, we're not buying into the reports that Mourinho doesn't rate him and he'll be running the show as Chelsea look to mark Jose's return with the title.
Paul Pogba, another central midfielder, the powerful former United man has built a reputation at Juve for battling in the engine room, tracking back and getting in the penalty area to pop up with the odd goal. Kaka is still plugging away at Real Madrid, the former Ballon d'Or winner was heavily involved in the adiPower launch but has had taken a back seat during the Pred LZ campaigns.
So there you have it, eight of the best players the Nitrocharge and Predator has to offer. There's still some very similar players on either team whose attributes cross paths but you look at the majority of the Nitrocharge line up and it's clear the silo is aimed at players who give 100%, will do anything for three points and are the heartbeat of their team. They'll do the dirty work, put in a solid shift and leave the flair players wearing Preds to finish the job with a match winning pass. That's the differences we're seeing anyway. What do you reckon then? Are you Nitrocharge or Predator?
Which silo do you think you're most suited to? Nitrocharge or Predator? Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
