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

As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a set of standards. Most were unambiguous and concise – ideal considering the disruption around his unexpected arrival, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mindset to earn, or continue to earn that honour. But there was a further point. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my introductory 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 evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems really at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the performances of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing fairly distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment ranked 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the last games of European qualifying – are significant in this context.

Even though Popovic concedes that he began in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the selection he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

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

This unexpected rise of talent, and the change in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those group can remain optimistic that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to sit out a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – continues to deliver steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 deep 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 praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”