On Thursday, Aston Villa goalkeeper Joe Gauci was in action for Australia in their World Cup qualifier against China.
Joe Gauci is one of nine Aston Villa players to represent his nation during the international break. The 24-year-old is normally used to playing understudy for club and country.
The world-class Emi Martinez is ahead of him in Villa’s pecking order, while for Australia, Mathew Ryan usually hogs the number-one jersey.
Ryan has been capped 92 times for Australia but in their latest World Cup qualifier – a 3-1 win over China – Gauci was awarded only the fourth cap for his nation.
Joe Gauci given brutal verdict in Australia’s win vs China
Australia would have feared the worst in the opening stages of the game after Xie Wenneng put the visitors into a surprise lead in the 20th minute.
The Aussies did fire back on the stroke of half-time, though, as Lewis Miller netted his first-ever international goal.
In the second half, Gauci’s side then took control of the game as Craig Goodwin and substitute Nishan Velupillay ensured there would be no upset on the cards.
Australia ended up dominating 73% of the ball and registered 18 shots on goal but Villa’s Gauci was still scrutinised for his performance.
Australian outlet The Roar gave Gauci a ‘dishonourable’ mention in their player ratings, citing that he didn’t do much wrong on the night but when he was called into action, he looked ‘shaky’.
“To be fair to the Aston Villa keeper, Gauci didn’t have much to do on the night but when tasked to come up big, the former Adelaide United keeper looked a bit shaky.
“Gauchi was beaten by Wenneng Xie in the 20th minute after the right midfielder’s left-footed shot rolled past his outstretched left hand.”
They also commented on his distribution, claiming that he nearly made some ‘costly errors’ when attempting to play out from the back.
“Gauchi nearly made some costly errors with his distribution from the back but luckily for him, China wasn’t on the ball going forward on the night.”
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Joe Gauci’s performance is understandable
Gauci can be forgiven for making a few errors for Australia as it’s only the second time he’s played at all this season after 90 minutes in Villa’s Carabao Cup win over Wycombe Wanderers.
The young shot-stopper therefore doesn’t have as much match sharpness and was always going to look a bit shakier than usual.
He also had the pressure of making a positive impression ahead of number one Ryan, who watched on from the substitutes bench.
With Gauci spending most of the campaign on the bench for Villa, not playing isn’t ideal for his progression and eliminating his shaky displays.
However, working with Martinez at club level is arguably the best role model he can follow, with the Argentine lifting the World Cup and Copa America trophies.
