Unai Emery will be on alert after what Joe Gauci did away from Aston Villa today
Unai Emery may already have his long-term Emi Martinez replacement at Aston Villa after what Joe Gauci did for Australia on Thursday.
The 24-year-old started between the sticks for the Socceroos at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in a World Cup qualifying match against Saudi Arabia and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw [14 November].
Gauci has been restricted to Carabao Cup appearances this year at Villa Park, with World Cup winner Martinez standing in his way.
Still, with Martinez entering the twilight years of his career and the Villans juggling European and domestic commitments, Gauci could see his game time significantly increase in the coming weeks.
“Fabulous” Joe Gauci could stake a claim at Aston Villa
While the Australian goalkeeper enjoyed a quiet outing against Saudi Arabia as he faced only three shots [Sofascore], his most remarkable moment in Melbourne will not feature in the widely reported statistics.
As per The Guardian [14 November], Gauci produced a “fabulous” double-save to deny Marwan Al-Sahafi early into the second half.
The forward bore down on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat but Gauci timed his dive to perfection to bat the ball away and stood his ground to save the subsequent shot. However, the linesman then raised his flag for offside.
Gauci remained a brick wall in the Australian goal, though, with one save and one high claim, dealing with any threat the visitors had to offer.
Furthermore, he was actively involved in the build-up play, which has become a crucial component of the modern goalkeeper, as he completed 71 per cent of his passes from 40 touches on the ball and 46 per cent of his long balls.
Gauci is slowly but surely staking his claim for a future starting berth at Villa Park. In his two Carabao Cup appearances, one against Premier League opposition in Crystal Palace, he averaged 91 per cent pass accuracy, 10.5 ball recoveries and a 63 per cent save ratio [Sofascore].
Martinez, of course, is one of the best goalkeepers in world football. While the Argentine will be expected to play most, if not all matches this season, his performances have suffered a drop-off alongside his teammates.
Aston Villa lost four consecutive matches across all competitions heading into the international break, with Martinez conceding nine goals throughout that run.
Therefore, against weaker opposition, Martinez could use the respite and allow Gauci to clock further first-team involvement.
The Australian may not be ready to replace the competition but his performance for the national side is proof to Emery that he is capable of challenging in the future.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans are eyeing a deal for Kenneth Taylor as a £29million update emerges at Ajax.
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