A Second Goalkeeper?
Well taken free kicks have the power to charm and mystify supporters as well as bamboozle defenders and goalkeepers (Think Roberto Carlos, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo) .From the goalkeepers perspective one way to stop the free kick would be to get into the right position. But unless you’re a psychic and can predict exactly where the person is going to place the ball you can’t get into the right position and even if you do get into a very good position there is always a possibility of the taker of the kick to position it so precisely that you wouldn’t even bother diving for it, the ones that spring up to mind are Hargreaves vs. Arsenal in 07 and Carlos vs. France to name a few. But why don’t teams consider putting a man at the post like in a corner. Not during a free kick where the taker crosses it in but when the free kick serves the purpose of a shot aimed right at the goal. Of course it would take a huge amount of charm from the game but it would no doubt get the really smart players to think of something to beat the goalkeeper and the defender. In the point of view of the team defending the free kick this would make it a lot easier to ensure that the free kick does not result in a goal. This though is not a very exciting prospect for the attacking team or the viewers. The viewers want to see “action” and this will definitely reduce the amount of “action” they get to see. In all fairness to the team the free kick this would make it a little bit unjust. Imagine you have a Fernando Torres bearing down on goal with only the goalie to beat and just outside the box a defender trips him. The defender gets a yellow card or maybe a red and Torres wins a free kick. Now if you prop a defender at one post it is almost impossible to score. Okay the opposition is a man down but your team loses a goal. And in last minute situations this can be very very unfair and at times a bit depressing .This will no doubt give rise to more and more fouls in the game which will obviously lead to more stoppages. But the main issue is that no team will be willing to do this as it will obviously lead to them getting a lot of flak. But once more than just a few teams start using this method then it will soon become commonplace to see a defender standing at the post defending a free kick. So for the time being let’s enjoy the grace and mystifying charm of the free kicks before the Second Goalies Arrive.
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Vinay
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