How new coach can be 'missing piece' for Matildas
New coach Joe Montemurro can be the missing piece to deliver the current generation of Matildas elusive silverware at the 2026 Asian Cup, says veteran striker Emily Gielnik.
Montemurro has kicked off his tenure, with Gielnik among those in his first squad for upcoming games against Slovenia and Panama in Western Australia.
Friday's squad announcement marks the first step towards next year's tournament on home soil, where the Matildas are chasing their first trophy since their 2010 Asian Cup triumph.
"We haven't quite found the missing piece in terms of the right squad to go and lift a trophy again. And I think Joe might be that missing piece to finding that perfect combination of players," Gielnik told AAP.
"I've always been someone that thinks you don't need the most talented players, you need the right people.
"Of course, you need talent - that's inevitable, but you need the right people, the right culture and all those things that maybe have been just ever so slightly missing over the last few years.
"If he can piece that puzzle together, I think we can dominate the Asian Cup, and we have a good chance moving forward into the next World Cup."
Gielnik played some of the best football of her career when Ante Milicic took the reins in 2019 and hopes to repeat that.
"It keeps the belief alive," Gielnik said.
"It's also a fresh start. It's a clean slate. I'm going to be in the present and just put my best foot forward and I'm excited to start this new chapter with Joe.
"I've only ever heard great things about him.
"I obviously have watched his career unfold, so I'm excited to learn from him, to play for him, and just to see the freshness and the life that he brings back into this Matildas camp.
"With his successful CV, I have no doubt that he's the right man for the job, without even having played for him yet."
Gielnik has club options overseas and an offer from Victory on the table.
The former Bayern Munich attacker would prefer to play overseas again but plans to get feedback from former Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon boss Montemurro.
First, the 33-year-old, overlooked regularly by Tony Gustavsson and Tom Sermanni, has a point to prove.
"I shed a couple of tears," she said of her call-up.
"For sure I have some little doubts that come in, but I've never really, truly given up - not in a million years.
"I still see a good couple of years left in me. I still have ambition to play abroad, to be at that Asian Cup and I'm never going to lose sight of that.
"This is a massive opportunity for me to be a part of this Asian Cup, considering I missed out on the World Cup at home.
"I'll do everything to be a part of that."
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"Now looking forward, obviously you're always going to have that expectation and target on your back, you're the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion in the kayak, and that hovers there, like a cloud, if you let it. "Everyone's hungry for that race, and just because you're world number one or just because you're the reigning champion doesn't mean it's different. "Coming into a world championship at home is going to feel very much like an Olympics in terms of the pressure and the expectation, but I think we'll be ready. "I love our home course and that's going to serve me, and I'm going to try and make it an advantage." While she's set to compete in the next Olympics in Los Angeles, Fox is also looking beyond her paddling career and has partnered with charity organisation High Impact Athletes, with sponsors pledging an amount for each "clean" gate on the course. 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But after taking time out to savour her Olympic success, also winning gold in the C1 while her sister Noemie won the kayak cross, she felt she was building nicely for the world championships. Fox admitted the pressure of defending her title on her home course could be on par with the Olympics. "Paris was magical in every way and it went perfectly, and was a very successful campaign, and fantastic to perform in that way,'' she said. "Now looking forward, obviously you're always going to have that expectation and target on your back, you're the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion in the kayak, and that hovers there, like a cloud, if you let it. "Everyone's hungry for that race, and just because you're world number one or just because you're the reigning champion doesn't mean it's different. "Coming into a world championship at home is going to feel very much like an Olympics in terms of the pressure and the expectation, but I think we'll be ready. 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Fox will defend her kayak crown on her home course, with the competition getting under way on September 29, but despite winning gold in the event in Paris, her results this year haven't been at her usual standard. The 31-year-old, who owns six Olympic medals, including three gold, has missed the K1 final at both of the opening World Cup events in Europe. In the opening race in La Seu in Spain, Fox finished 48th in a field of 50 after incurring a 50-second penalty for missing a gate. She also missed the K1 final at the second World Cup event in Pau in France, but at both she bounced back to win gold in the C1 races. "It's funny, people are always almost shocked when you don't qualify for the final, or when you don't win, as when you've done it so many times it's just expected, but actually it's hard every time," Fox said from Prague, ahead of another World Cup later this month. "Even the best athletes make mistakes, so it was disappointing, I was upset, I had a good cry about it, and then I just got back on the horse the next day, got back in my boat and had another crack. "I'm fine-tuning things and I'm still in a training and building phase at the moment before the worlds, and I'm taking in as much info as I can." She said the gates hung quite low in Spain, and she was too cautious in her approach. But after taking time out to savour her Olympic success, also winning gold in the C1 while her sister Noemie won the kayak cross, she felt she was building nicely for the world championships. Fox admitted the pressure of defending her title on her home course could be on par with the Olympics. "Paris was magical in every way and it went perfectly, and was a very successful campaign, and fantastic to perform in that way,'' she said. "Now looking forward, obviously you're always going to have that expectation and target on your back, you're the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion in the kayak, and that hovers there, like a cloud, if you let it. "Everyone's hungry for that race, and just because you're world number one or just because you're the reigning champion doesn't mean it's different. "Coming into a world championship at home is going to feel very much like an Olympics in terms of the pressure and the expectation, but I think we'll be ready. "I love our home course and that's going to serve me, and I'm going to try and make it an advantage." While she's set to compete in the next Olympics in Los Angeles, Fox is also looking beyond her paddling career and has partnered with charity organisation High Impact Athletes, with sponsors pledging an amount for each "clean" gate on the course. "It's about looking beyond sport and going, how else can I have an impact, and how do I keep this interesting and exciting, and what's my legacy going to be?,'' she said. "Each race, each run, each gate that I take, I'm pledging my support for this charity, which provides safe, clean drinking water for people around the world, and bringing people on board with me."
