🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic finally gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a set of expectations. A lot were clear and to the point – ideal given the disruption surrounding his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “top-tier” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was a further theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown sharper into focus with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My hopes were to do something extraordinary, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears really settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team changed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches 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 last games of European qualifying – are significant in this regard.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job thinking to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now feels the selection he can call upon has expanded. This doesn't only come through the rise of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have entered,” 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 feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those ranks can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 consistently, then the coach is stating plainly 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 announce 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 feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

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

“I keep saying 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 observing and praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”