Originally Posted by Butterflies:
“How the **** did Barnes manage to stay on the pitch? He could have taken Matic out for the rest of the season, idiot. If the ref had done his job and protected our players by booking fouls, there's no way Matic would have reacted like that.”
Alan Shearer has berated Barnes’ over his ‘terrible tackle’ on Matic.
However, I think he is wrong.
Barnes shielded the ball from Zouma, turned and took the ball upfield a few yards using a touch with his right foot. The ball was effectively under his control.
He then took 3 steps and passed the ball, at speed!, with the inside of his right foot, up the line toward the Chelsea goal.
Barnes has clearly kicked the ball, and it has clearly left his boot.
Matic is moving in on the ball, at speed, from Barnes’ left; he intercepts Barnes’ pass with outstretched left leg.
The ball hit the toe of Matics’ boot and goes out for a throw-in.
The ball is about 2-feet away from Barnes’ boot after he’d passed it forward, when the ball strikes Matics’ toe; Barnes’ forward momentum, after hitting the ball upfield, takes him into Matics shin.
It all happened so fast it is hard to see how Barnes could have stopped the collision once he’d passed the ball forward.
He appeared to be fully concentrated on making a successful pass upfield rather than attempting to break Matics’ leg.
Matic’s red card was fully deserved; however, one can fully understand the reaction if he genuinely believed Barnes’ was trying to deliberately him injure him.
I’ve watched this incident numerous times in slow-motion; Barnes had definitely made a pass (albeit intercepted) along the line. He didn’t go ‘over the top’ and it’s difficult to see how the collision was avoidable.
Am I a voice in the wilderness?

