Among all the positives, negatives and talking points of our pre-season, one of the key aspects has been the involvement of Aston Villa goalkeeper Joe Gauci this summer.
Signed in January, the 24-year-old had the second half of last season to settle in, adapt and integrate himself into the senior squad, and importantly learn from the likes of Emiliano Martinez and Robin Olsen in training on a day-to-day basis.
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Unai Emery has seemingly cleared the path for the Australian International to stake his claim as a long-term solution behind Martinez with Viljami Sinisalo and Filip Marschall being moved on permanently and on loan respectively, and Gauci has benefitted already by featuring this summer.
It’s hopefully proven to be a pivotal experience for him, as it’s important for us that he continues to develop and emerges as the long-term number two, with the expectation that his availability and reliability will be better than an ageing Olsen over the course of a gruelling campaign.
While he has showcased his shot-stopping qualities consistently, we’ve certainly seen an improvement in his distribution too. Whether it’s that he is starting to look more comfortable and calmer when he invites the press from the opposition before playing it out and starting our build-up play, or making adjustments to his starting position to adapt to our high line and rush out when needed.
There has obviously been a lot of work put into his development and analysis carried out to help him suit our style more effectively, and in conjunction with his playing time, it has been instrumental in giving him the confidence to test himself and practice the methods that are being taught to him.
Olsen will undoubtedly continue to push Gauci, as the Swedish stalwart is experienced and highly thought of by Emery and the coaching staff. Martinez will of course remain our number one choice between the posts, but as we saw last season, he’ll need to be rested at times and rotated out, and Gauci has staked his claim to step in when necessary.
Emery, Monchi and the Villa recruitment team evidently spotted things they liked about the Australian shot-stopper to inspire the decision to prise him away from Adelaide Utd earlier this year, and as we continue to help him mature, develop and adapt to the demands at this level, he’ll hopefully tick all the right boxes and become an important figure in the goalkeeper ranks for many years to come.
