Earl Reed

One of the main concerns for the US Men's National Team over the last few years is defensive coverage, especially in the first 15 minutes of every match. The one stalwart that always seems to give us hope as a center half is Oguchi Onyewu. He's appeared in 58 matches for the United States in […]

On a rainy day on the western shore of England, Blackpool put a scare into the Red Devils of Manchester in an entertaining match. In the end, United prevailed as the Tangerines were unable to finish off the League leaders, 2-3. FORMATIONS: Both teams fielded 4-3-3 formations. United, who typically play in a 4-4-2, brought […]

As has been reported extensively this morning, Charlie Adam submitted a transfer request to Blackpool management today. The Seasiders in turn denied the request, clinging to the premise that Adam is worth more than the £4 million offer suggested by Liverpool. Now, I've loved Blackpool thus far this season. I've enjoyed watching as they come […]

In a match that may be seen as a turning point in their season, Liverpool endured a lousy pitch and some inspired second half play from Wolves to lodge a 3-0 victory. Wolves Form: The home side was organized in a standard 4-4-2. The only change from their previous lineup was the return of skipper […]

According to news reports today, Aston Villa have made a major move to fill a desperate need, signing Darren Bent from Sunderland for a reported £18 million transfer fee. At the moment, the Black Cats are 12 points ahead of the relegation zone, where Villa reside at the moment. Will this be a reversal of […]

On a day when the Barclay's Premier League came back into action after a Cup break, Wolverhampton made the trip north to face Manchester City. The match was won by City, but not without some tense moments brought on by some inspired play from Wolves. CITY FORMATION: City started the match in a 4-4-1-1 formation. […]

So I wake up this morning, a day off for me. I fire up the laptop, check the news, and see that Manchester City's splash signing, Edin Dzeko, would have preferred signing with Juventus according to his agent. You have to put two and two together, since that article doesn't do it for you, but the […]

Old Trafford hosted the midweek Premier League duel between Manchester United and visiting Stoke City. United have been soaring, tied with crosstown City with two games in hand, and they haven't experienced a defeat this season. Stoke had won two of the last three matches and started the day in 8th place, looking to prove […]

Since I am currently on holiday with my family, I hadn't planned to do a second match review this week. However I caught the replay of yesterday's Chelsea-Bolton match, and thought I'd at least give the starting formation and a few thoughts. – This matchup of Bolton's 4-4-2 and Chelsea's 4-3-3 leads to the typical […]

An important London derby took place on Monday, with Chelsea visiting Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal. The Gunners looked the sharper squad this day, and a big second half breakout sent them to a 3-1 victory against the struggling champions. The home squad started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, manager Arsene Wenger’s tried-and-true. A trio of […]

One year ago here in the Midatlantic United States, we had a rather unwelcome storm system come through and dump a couple of feet of the white stuff on the ground. The same thing has happened this year for much of England, and most of the matches scheduled for today were cancelled, as well as […]

On Sunday, a battle took place in London, as two league powerhouses played an intense match in front of a lively crowd at White Hart Lane. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, as Chelsea squandered a wonderful opportunity to go ahead in stoppage time. Tottenham Hotspur began the match in the 4-4-2 formation. The […]

Everton travelled south on Saturday to face reigning champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Toffees have struggled this season, only two spots out of the relegation zone. Chelsea has been on a poor run of their own, ceding the lead of the Premier League to Manchester United in the process. On this cold London day, […]

I was listening to the EPLTalk Podcast Weekend Review this morning on the way to work (and it probably isn't said enough, thank you to Richard, Laurence, Kartik, and the Gaffer for this valuable resource!). Richard and Kartik discussed an impact game this weekend in the nPower Championship between Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City, […]

An intriguing meeting of current and past Top 4 football clubs in England took place Sunday, as Tottenham Hotspur edged Liverpool in the waning minutes to continue their push towards the top. Tottenham and Liverpool both assembled 4-4-2 formations. Peter Crouch and Rafael van der Vaart were Tottenham’s strikers from the open, but in the […]