For goodness sakes does everything goes down on Paston?
In a free kick in front of the goal there are three main basic ways a direct shot can be done. The first that everyone knows is the pretty curve ball over the wall into the near top corner with a sideways spin to the ball like Beckham does. The second is the massive drive shot along the ground to the bottom corner right close to the post to the inside side netting. That shot is to the side of the wall where the keeper has position himself more to center of the goal to cover the first option and the third option. The third option is a slight curve with a power with less spin and that it is more centred than the first curved option. This is the option that the Melbourne player had chosen.
I cannot see how people are saying that he can save that goal as it was a textbook direct freekick that not one keeper can humanly react to it in time.. You can't say that Paston was not in the right position either as he can only save freekicks that are either not stuck well in power or with the right spin/curve nor in the right direction. That freekick did not allow any such mistake. Paston was position correctly as he can only go so far to the center of the goal without being caught out by the drive shot option.
Calls for him to be even more central position is ridiculous as any player at that level let alone a free kick specialist should be able to do the drive shot. Had he took a more centre role and the free kick specialist saw that, it would be the most simple goal that he would ever get and everyone will be calling for him to lose his starting lineup place and any keeper would die from embarrassment.
At least he was in a position to stop that drive shot and hoped that more third option shot was less powerful that he could get to it or that there was lesser curve/dip to the shot that he would be almost Johnny on the spot. If it was the pretty first option that people are more familiar with then, Paston, from his position maybe able to scramble across and stop a less accurate curve shot.
I don't think you can be in a better position that he was in for that free kick.
And honestly, who else can you replace him with? Moss is gone, the Aussie kid is still learning, and Jacob Oram is a professional cricketer on NZC contract who gets extra $$ for when he turns up a 20/20 IPL tournament month whenever that happens plus he hasn't played a soccer game for an very long time.
