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

When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a set of standards. Most were straightforward and direct – perfect given the turmoil around his unexpected entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mindset to earn, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast more distinctly into view with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something extraordinary, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

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

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now feels the selection he can call upon has swelled. This isn’t just through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s return from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising appearance of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those ranks can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to perform steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I emphasize it to the group: one day, Australia will go a long way in the World Cup. And why not this group? Why do we have to wait two or three World Cups, when I’m watching and applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”