{‘Why do we have to wait?’: Popovic imposes no limits on what the Socceroos can accomplish.

The moment Tony Popovic eventually assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a series of standards. A lot were straightforward and concise – perfect in light of the disruption surrounding his sudden arrival, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mindset to secure, or maintain that distinction. But there was a further point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought sharper into view with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, looks really at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline sharply contrasts with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games 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 last games of European qualifying – carry weight in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now thinks the selection he can rely on has expanded. This is not only through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to push Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the shift in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those circle can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – keeps 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 limit 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 possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole 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 repeat 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 sitting back and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”