Nouveaux Maillots 2011/12 (Part 2)

Three more new French football kits for you now - all with a similar theme...


PSG (away, 2011/12)

There’s really not much to say about Paris Saint-Germain’s away kit, except that what little detail it has looks excellent.

This all-white offering from Nike spares us the fussy patterns and markings of other kits and sets one’s focus squarely on the broad red band running across the upper part of the shirt, flanked as it is by two narrower dark blue bands. Simple, bold and very nicely done.

The shorts are plain white and the socks are the same except for two red horizontal stripes traversing the turnovers. And that’s about it, apart from the occasional Nike ‘Swoosh’ here or there and the obligatory badge. How nice to see a kit manufacturer knowing when to stop when it comes to adding embellishments. An example of a great yet understated design. Well done Nike.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Lyon (home, 2011/12)

In our previous part, we suggested that diagonal bands and stripes were making a comeback, but that’s nothing compared to the return of the horizontal band, as we're about to see.

Following on from PSG's lead (or possibly the other way around) comes Lyon who have ditched their Crystal Palace-style diagonal sash in favour of a red and blue band not completely dissimilar to the shirt above. And again, it's very well executed with some nice red and blue complementary styling on the cuffs and collar, together with the obligatory three stripes on the shoulders and sleeves.

While the shorts are a relatively simple white affair with a blue stripe along the bottom of the legs (with the Adidas stripes down the side), the white socks are a little more carefree with the red and blue band from the shirt traversing the shin area.

Oh and if you're looking for some added detail, that red and blue band on the shirt also features a shadow pattern of two lions, as shown on the city's coat of arms. A nice touch and another very good contribution from Adidas.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Lille (home, 2011/12)

Here's yet another design with a horizontal band that dominates the shirt, this time from Umbro, and this one is likely to divide opinion more than most.

Traditionalists will be fond of the failiar all-red shirts worn by LOSC over the years, but this one has a big navy-blue and white stripe across it which is not easy to ignore. Is less red on the shirt a good thing? You be the judge...

The kit, nonetheless, does look very nice and has a bolder look than the fussier efforts produced by Umbro for the northern French club in recent seasons. Together with plain navy-blue shorts and navy-blue socks that feature the red and white bands, this kit has a much bigger impact and that's no bad thing in my opinion.

Score: 8 out of 10


(This article is also available via French Football Weekly.)