Gauci eyeing breakthrough for Villa and Socceroos
The baptism of a bleak Yorkshire winter has given Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci the confidence he can push for more gametime with Premier League side Aston Villa and the Socceroos.
Seven-cap international Gauci, who signed for Villa from Adelaide United nearly 18 months ago, is eager to make a case for more chances after being sent on loan to League One side Barnsley this season.
The 24-year-old played seven games across an injury-hit spell for the Tykes and described the physicality and "more direct" football of England's lower leagues as a "real eye opener".
But Villa's goalkeeping stocks are in a state of flux heading into the transfer window, with veteran back-up Robin Olsen to leave and starting 'keeper Emiliano Martinez linked with an off-season move.
Gauci had been viewed as Villa's third-choice goalkeeper prior to his loan move to Barnsley and played in cup matches for the first team.
But the South Australian is aware even if Argentinian international Martinez was to leave, Villa would likely bring a more experienced No. 1 in over the top of him.
"I'll go back and start pre-season at Villa and put my best foot forward and work hard and continue to develop," Gauci said from the Socceroos camp in Abu Dhabi.
"When it comes to my future and next season, I'm an Aston Villa player, and my main focus is to play for Aston Villa, whether that's next season or the years that follow.
"There's a lot of speculation in football, so that's out of my control. I guess there's no point, no point worrying about ifs and buts, he (Martinez) is contracted.
"If he was to leave they'll probably look at bringing in other goalkeepers and Robin Olsen's time at the club is coming to an end. There's opportunities … and it's up to me to take them."
Gauci has been undaunted by challenging more-established teammates for spots.
He was a surprise choice for Popovic's first three games at the helm, briefly ousting captain Maty Ryan before his hip injury prevented him from staking a claim for March's qualifying wins over Indonesia and China.
It remains to be seen whether Popovic will stick with Lens No.1 Ryan for the June 5 clash with Japan and the June 11 trip to Jeddah to face Saudi Arabia where two wins would guarantee the Socceroos a World Cup berth next year.
"Maty has been a fantastic mentor and role model, and younger me would be going crazy to say that he is able to compete for the No.1 spot for Australia," Gauci said.
"Everyone wants to put themselves in the best position to be up for selection when we qualify for the World Cup."
The baptism of a bleak Yorkshire winter has given Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci the confidence he can push for more gametime with Premier League side Aston Villa and the Socceroos.
Seven-cap international Gauci, who signed for Villa from Adelaide United nearly 18 months ago, is eager to make a case for more chances after being sent on loan to League One side Barnsley this season.
The 24-year-old played seven games across an injury-hit spell for the Tykes and described the physicality and "more direct" football of England's lower leagues as a "real eye opener".
But Villa's goalkeeping stocks are in a state of flux heading into the transfer window, with veteran back-up Robin Olsen to leave and starting 'keeper Emiliano Martinez linked with an off-season move.
Gauci had been viewed as Villa's third-choice goalkeeper prior to his loan move to Barnsley and played in cup matches for the first team.
But the South Australian is aware even if Argentinian international Martinez was to leave, Villa would likely bring a more experienced No. 1 in over the top of him.
"I'll go back and start pre-season at Villa and put my best foot forward and work hard and continue to develop," Gauci said from the Socceroos camp in Abu Dhabi.
"When it comes to my future and next season, I'm an Aston Villa player, and my main focus is to play for Aston Villa, whether that's next season or the years that follow.
"There's a lot of speculation in football, so that's out of my control. I guess there's no point, no point worrying about ifs and buts, he (Martinez) is contracted.
"If he was to leave they'll probably look at bringing in other goalkeepers and Robin Olsen's time at the club is coming to an end. There's opportunities … and it's up to me to take them."
Gauci has been undaunted by challenging more-established teammates for spots.
He was a surprise choice for Popovic's first three games at the helm, briefly ousting captain Maty Ryan before his hip injury prevented him from staking a claim for March's qualifying wins over Indonesia and China.
It remains to be seen whether Popovic will stick with Lens No.1 Ryan for the June 5 clash with Japan and the June 11 trip to Jeddah to face Saudi Arabia where two wins would guarantee the Socceroos a World Cup berth next year.
"Maty has been a fantastic mentor and role model, and younger me would be going crazy to say that he is able to compete for the No.1 spot for Australia," Gauci said.
"Everyone wants to put themselves in the best position to be up for selection when we qualify for the World Cup."
The baptism of a bleak Yorkshire winter has given Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci the confidence he can push for more gametime with Premier League side Aston Villa and the Socceroos.
Seven-cap international Gauci, who signed for Villa from Adelaide United nearly 18 months ago, is eager to make a case for more chances after being sent on loan to League One side Barnsley this season.
The 24-year-old played seven games across an injury-hit spell for the Tykes and described the physicality and "more direct" football of England's lower leagues as a "real eye opener".
But Villa's goalkeeping stocks are in a state of flux heading into the transfer window, with veteran back-up Robin Olsen to leave and starting 'keeper Emiliano Martinez linked with an off-season move.
Gauci had been viewed as Villa's third-choice goalkeeper prior to his loan move to Barnsley and played in cup matches for the first team.
But the South Australian is aware even if Argentinian international Martinez was to leave, Villa would likely bring a more experienced No. 1 in over the top of him.
"I'll go back and start pre-season at Villa and put my best foot forward and work hard and continue to develop," Gauci said from the Socceroos camp in Abu Dhabi.
"When it comes to my future and next season, I'm an Aston Villa player, and my main focus is to play for Aston Villa, whether that's next season or the years that follow.
"There's a lot of speculation in football, so that's out of my control. I guess there's no point, no point worrying about ifs and buts, he (Martinez) is contracted.
"If he was to leave they'll probably look at bringing in other goalkeepers and Robin Olsen's time at the club is coming to an end. There's opportunities … and it's up to me to take them."
Gauci has been undaunted by challenging more-established teammates for spots.
He was a surprise choice for Popovic's first three games at the helm, briefly ousting captain Maty Ryan before his hip injury prevented him from staking a claim for March's qualifying wins over Indonesia and China.
It remains to be seen whether Popovic will stick with Lens No.1 Ryan for the June 5 clash with Japan and the June 11 trip to Jeddah to face Saudi Arabia where two wins would guarantee the Socceroos a World Cup berth next year.
"Maty has been a fantastic mentor and role model, and younger me would be going crazy to say that he is able to compete for the No.1 spot for Australia," Gauci said.
"Everyone wants to put themselves in the best position to be up for selection when we qualify for the World Cup."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
38 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Mary Fowler shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year gong
Australian star Mary Fowler is on the six-person shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Women's Player of the Year award. Voted for by fellow professional players, Fowler was included, along with teammate Yui Hasegawa, following her most productive Women's Super League season to date for Manchester City. They are joined by Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey from European champions Arsenal, Erin Cuthbert from WSL champions Chelsea, and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Also in the running for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, 22-year-old Fowler picked up six goals and seven assists in the campaign, and her two goal involvements in four successive WSL matches set a competition record in February. Despite having her season cut short by injury in April, the Matildas star was the only City player to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions. Japan international midfielder Hasegawa - who won City's Player of the Season award - completed the most dribbles in the WSL across the campaign and was involved in more shot-ending sequences than any other player in her position. She also won possession more times than any other player in the top flight across the season. Russo scored eight times in Arsenal's European success and was joint top scorer in the WSL with 12 goals. Her teammate Caldentey managed nine goals and five assists in the WSL and added eight more in the Champions League. The winner will be announced at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 19. Australian star Mary Fowler is on the six-person shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Women's Player of the Year award. Voted for by fellow professional players, Fowler was included, along with teammate Yui Hasegawa, following her most productive Women's Super League season to date for Manchester City. They are joined by Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey from European champions Arsenal, Erin Cuthbert from WSL champions Chelsea, and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Also in the running for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, 22-year-old Fowler picked up six goals and seven assists in the campaign, and her two goal involvements in four successive WSL matches set a competition record in February. Despite having her season cut short by injury in April, the Matildas star was the only City player to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions. Japan international midfielder Hasegawa - who won City's Player of the Season award - completed the most dribbles in the WSL across the campaign and was involved in more shot-ending sequences than any other player in her position. She also won possession more times than any other player in the top flight across the season. Russo scored eight times in Arsenal's European success and was joint top scorer in the WSL with 12 goals. Her teammate Caldentey managed nine goals and five assists in the WSL and added eight more in the Champions League. The winner will be announced at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 19. Australian star Mary Fowler is on the six-person shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Women's Player of the Year award. Voted for by fellow professional players, Fowler was included, along with teammate Yui Hasegawa, following her most productive Women's Super League season to date for Manchester City. They are joined by Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey from European champions Arsenal, Erin Cuthbert from WSL champions Chelsea, and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Also in the running for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, 22-year-old Fowler picked up six goals and seven assists in the campaign, and her two goal involvements in four successive WSL matches set a competition record in February. Despite having her season cut short by injury in April, the Matildas star was the only City player to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions. Japan international midfielder Hasegawa - who won City's Player of the Season award - completed the most dribbles in the WSL across the campaign and was involved in more shot-ending sequences than any other player in her position. She also won possession more times than any other player in the top flight across the season. Russo scored eight times in Arsenal's European success and was joint top scorer in the WSL with 12 goals. Her teammate Caldentey managed nine goals and five assists in the WSL and added eight more in the Champions League. The winner will be announced at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 19.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mary Fowler shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year gong
Australian star Mary Fowler is on the six-person shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Women's Player of the Year award. Voted for by fellow professional players, Fowler was included, along with teammate Yui Hasegawa, following her most productive Women's Super League season to date for Manchester City. They are joined by Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey from European champions Arsenal, Erin Cuthbert from WSL champions Chelsea, and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Also in the running for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, 22-year-old Fowler picked up six goals and seven assists in the campaign, and her two goal involvements in four successive WSL matches set a competition record in February. Despite having her season cut short by injury in April, the Matildas star was the only City player to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions. Japan international midfielder Hasegawa - who won City's Player of the Season award - completed the most dribbles in the WSL across the campaign and was involved in more shot-ending sequences than any other player in her position. She also won possession more times than any other player in the top flight across the season. Russo scored eight times in Arsenal's European success and was joint top scorer in the WSL with 12 goals. Her teammate Caldentey managed nine goals and five assists in the WSL and added eight more in the Champions League. The winner will be announced at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 19.
Herald Sun
5 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Watch every match from Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships
The nation's footballing talents of the future will return to KommunityTV screens in July, but with a new name and new purpose. It is the second-straight year KommunityTV and News Corp Australia has partnered with Football Australia to bring the nation's flagship underage national championships to life on the small screen. Those tournaments have been given a new lease on life in 2025 with the creation of the Emerging Matildas Championships and Emerging Socceroos Championships. The Emerging Socceroos Championships will take place at the Home of the Matildas in Melbourne from July 6-11, while the Emerging Matildas Championships take over Sydney's Valentines Sports Park from July 15-20. It's not just a name change according to former Matilda and Football Australia interim CEO Heather Gariock. 'This is about more than a name, it's about delivering a high-performance environment that identifies, nurtures, and prepares the next generation of elite Australian footballers, coaches, and match officials,' she said. What hasn't changed is our level of coverage. KommunityTV will exclusively live stream every match from both tournaments, with more than 170 games of football played across the two weeks of action. 'We're very pleased to continue our partnership with KommunityTV in 2025, providing live streaming of every match to ensure families, friends, and fans across the country can follow the action and support their local talent,' Garriock said. 'This partnership plays a vital role in connecting communities and giving these young players a platform to shine.' HOW TO WATCH LIVE KommunityTV will be the only place you can watch all of the action from both the Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships, with the tournament live streamed across all of our News Corp Australia digital mastheads. We're keeping it simple for the two week-long tournaments. Each day's live action and action replays will be housed in individual stories, with the links included below on the eve of each day's action. Alternatively, you can use the video player on your local KommunityTV homepage by going to throughout the tournament. Use the live stream schedules below so you know what day your team is playing during the week. Only News Corp Australia full digital subscribers can watch the action from the tournament. Use our daily stream links to sign up and watch it LIVE. WATCH THE EMERGING MATILDAS AND SOCCEROOS LIVE Tournament schedules will be released shortly WHY ARE THE EMERGING CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT? The tournaments have been a proven breeding ground of Australia's top football talents, and provide the perfect springboard for the next generation to hit the global stage. This has only been strengthened by the introduction of a more cohesive national pathway to the Socceroos and Matildas teams. The tournament has also adopted a number of technical advancements in the past year with data-driven performance analysis, expanded competition formats, a national talent identification strategy and the inclusion of more target awards including a tournament Golden Boot, player of the final and fair play award. 'The transformation of the CommBank Emerging Matildas and CommBank Emerging Socceroos Championships reflects Football Australia's commitment to building world-class development pathways that align directly with our senior national teams,' Garriock said. The pressure will be on NSW Metro's stellar girls football program after the sky blues took out both the Under-15 and Under-16 age group titles at the National Youth Championships last year. One side who will be determined to press their case for a national title is the Northern NSW girls who managed to hold their gloves up against their high-powered rivals in last year's decider. In the boys NSW Metro and Victoria shared the national honours last year after the sky blues came from behind to topple rivals Queensland in the decider. The Victorian boys were completely unstoppable in the Under-15s tournament, going through undefeated and will hope most players back up for a run at the Under-16 title in 2025. Live stream schedules for the girls tournament will be announced in late June, while the boys tournament will be released in early July. Originally published as 2025 FA youth champs: Watch every match from Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships
