Nemanja Matic, the brawnier half of the Chelsea midfield pivot that controls and dictates play so well, saw straight red today against Burnley. Going down to ten men and giving up an equalizer would be bad enough, but the Serbian will now be suspended for the Capital One Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur to be played next Sunday.
This is a huge development for two reasons: 1) Matic is excellent 2) the obvious, if unspectacular, choice to replace him Jon Obi Mikel is injured. In light of this undesirable turn of events, Graham MacAree of We Ain't Got No History believes we will see Ramires come into the midfield for the Blues. Further analysis or predictions by Graham were rendered impossible because of the 100 percent chance of him going on a expletive filled rant.
Joking aside, Chelsea have a right to feel a bit aggrieved. Viewing the incident, I actually understand the outrage. Ashley Barnes' challenge is really, really bad. Leg breaking bad. That does not change the fact that, in retaliation, Matic pushed him over, saw straight red, and will now miss the final.