{‘Why do we have to wait?’: Popovic places no restrictions on what Australia can achieve.

The moment Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a set of expectations. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – suitable in light of the disruption surrounding his abrupt arrival, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mindset to earn, or keep that distinction. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something special, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline stands in stark contrast with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. Similarly have the results of his team changed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming fairly distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently placed 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the final games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

While Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has grown. This is not only through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the ability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those circle can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – continues to play regularly, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a end on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go very far in the World Cup. And why not this group? Why do we have to wait two or three World Cups, when I’m observing and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”