Gulacsi eyes number one spot

The life of a reserve team goalkeeper can often be thankless and there is no role within a modern squad that requires more patience.

Though Liverpool are blessed to have someone as talented and reliable as Pepe Reina as their number one, you cannot help but have a great deal of sympathy for the men who must play second fiddle to him week after week.

Take Diego Cavalieri. Since arriving from Palmeiras in the summer of 2008, he has made just eight appearances for the Reds but has yet to sample any action in the Premier League - no wonder, then, he is contemplating finding pastures new this summer. But for Peter Gulacsi the situation is quite different. Whereas Cavalieri will be 28 later this year, the giant Hungarian has only just turned 20 and is more than happy to receive an education from the shadows at the moment.

Don't, however, mistake that for a lack of ambition. Listening to Gulacsi speak after another intensive training session in Bad Ragaz this week, it is clear he is desperate to one day succeed Reina between the posts.

So while Reina has been relaxing after helping Spain win the World Cup, Gulacsi has been pushing himself to the limit in an attempt to show Roy Hodgson he is capable of making an impression in the here and now, as well as the future.

He certainly did nothing wrong when playing the second 45 minutes of Wednesday's friendly with FC Grasshopper, showing confidence and authority; in all likelihood, he will get another chance when the Reds lock horns with German side Kaiserslautern this afternoon.

"Spending any time with the first team is a great opportunity for us to show what we are capable of, especially with the first team players being away," said Gulacsi. "We have a chance to show that maybe we can play for the first team.

"Pre-season is really good because you might get a game here or there to try and impress the manager as during the season, when the team is playing important, competitive games, it is much more difficult for younger players. Now is the time to do it. I have to understand I am at the beginning of a long journey. Goalkeepers get better with age and experience, playing games and time. Sometimes it is difficult to be patient but you have to understand that everyone wants to play and show that you are good enough.

"But I understand my position. If I get any kind of chance - one minute, five minutes, a full game - I want to show what I can do and prove that I deserve to be at Liverpool because this is a real top level club."

A point proven by the fact Reina is the man in possession of the gloves; his enduring consistency, approach and passion for the club have made him a hugely popular figure with supporters and Gulacsi makes no secret of the esteem in which he holds the Spaniard.

"Even when you watch Pepe in training it is such a big help," he said. "You pick up things and you try to copy what he does. As a goalkeeper, for me he is the most complete in the world - shot stopping, distribution, covering the team; every part of the game he is top class.

"You can find really good goalkeepers all around the world like (Iker) Casillas, who is in front of Pepe in the Spanish squad. Is it a surprise he doesn't play so much? It is a difficult situation; Casillas plays in Spain and is in front of the coach every week.

"He is also playing for Real Madrid and he is number one for them; in some ways, it is difficult to beat that. It is a difficult situation for Pepe but, as far as I am concerned, he is the most complete and I'm lucky to work with him."

If Cavalieri happens to remain on Merseyside, the chances are Gulacsi will head out on loan at some point, as he did with great success last season; he kept two clean sheets in five games at the end of the campaign to help Tranmere Rovers retain their place in League One.

"It was a great experience to taste senior football again," Gulacsi, who has also had a spell on loan at Hereford, reflected. "We stayed in the league; it wasn't the right time to try things because we were under great pressure. I had to make sure I stayed safe and gave good support to the team.

"Of course I wanted to show what I could do but the main thing was to play simple and safe. Now I am back here and I have to keep doing well in training. You have got to give 100% and show you are good enough. Then it is up to the manager who will play."

Born in Budapest, Gulacsi followed compatriots Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon to Anfield on loan in 2007 before signing a permanent deal 12 months later; he showed why the Reds were keen to land him last year when helping Hungary reach the last four of the Under-20 World Cup.

There were suggestions Chelsea were trying to spirit him away after that tournament - he had starred in a last 16 penalty shoot-out win over the Czech Republic - but leaving was never an option and Gulacsi is adamant he is at the right club to continue his development.

"I sometimes think about where I was before I came here," he said. "I was second choice in my age group in Hungary but now I am playing for the Under-21s and I have been on the bench three times for the national team.

"I have also been on the bench five times for Liverpool. That proves that I am at the right place. I think I have improved a lot and become a much better goalkeeper. I'm really happy here. I like the people, the city, the mood. This could be an encouraging season."

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.