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

As soon as Tony Popovic eventually assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a series of expectations. A lot were unambiguous and concise – perfect given the upheaval around his sudden arrival, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mindset to secure, or maintain that honour. But there was another point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast clearer into view with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling rather far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently positioned 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 context.

While Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job assuming to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now believes the selection he can call upon has grown. This isn’t just through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m convinced 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 shift in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can keep faith that, in 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 perform consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

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

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond the expectations 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 pigeonhole 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 observing and cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”