Frank Lampard to miss 2 weeks with calf injury

Surprise! Frank Lampard will be out for a while. The 34-year-old midfielder managed to re-aggravate the calf problem that he picked up just before the international break during the early stages of Chelsea's unfortunate expedition to Ukraine, and according to the Mail he looks set to miss the Blues next four matches, including the doubleheader against Manchester United and the crucial return fixture versus Shakhtar Donetsk.

This is, of course, the sort of thing we should be expecting from midfielders in their mid-thirties (especially those who move around as aggressively as Lampard). He's not going to be available to play in every match, and this sort of minor, nagging injury is exactly why he's being rested as often as he is. Chelsea look set with a Ramires - John Obi Mikel central midfield for a while, and although that tandem's probably their best choice at present it's a shame that we don't have any realistic options to back them up. But we knew that something like this was on the cards when Raul Meireles and Michael Essien were discarded at the end of August, so hey.