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."
