Burnley
manager Sean Dyche has suggested Ashley Barnes' controversial tackle on
Chelsea's Nemanja Matic was an unavoidable accident.
The 25-year-old striker's challenge in Saturday's Premier League clash at
Stamford Bridge prompted an angry reaction from Matic that earned the Serbia
midfielder a red card.
However, Dyche is adamant that the incident was a result of the 'pendulum
motion' of a pass and highlighted the lack of reaction from the Chelsea
dugout at the time.
The Clarets boss said: "No one reacts. Live time, no one reacts apart from
Matic. My point is about live time - live speed. The referee has a chance.
No one reacts.
"When the camera pans back to Jose Mourinho and his assistant, they're
calmly talking about what they should do.
"After the event, with hindsight and camera views and slow-motion, now it's
been called a criminal tackle and the like. I find that hard to adjust when
live at that moment, 15,000 people and expert staff and most of the players
on the football pitch - it's rare there's not a reaction in the stadium.
"After the event, with slow-motion, of course it looks an ugly challenge but
the ball is made contact with and the motion of the player is at high speed,
the pendulum motion of the player.
"I don't know the biomechanics. I'm not an expert. But I'd say that once
you're in that pendulum motion of playing a pass, it's very difficult to
stop your leg going through the ball and rising.
"We all know it doesn't look a pleasant challenge but, at live speed, these
are expert people who've been in the game a long time who don't even flinch
at that moment. It's a real tough one.
"I find it hard that the manager is using very strong phrases about that
moment when he didn't have any reaction at all at the live moment. I find
that one hard to accept. Things often look different afterwards with all the
technology you've got."
Earlier on Monday, the FA confirmed Barnes would face no charge for the
challenge while Sky sources believe Chelsea are preparing an appeal against
Matic's dismissal.
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