🔗 Share this article

The moment Tony Popovic eventually brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a range of standards. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – ideal considering the upheaval around his unexpected entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was an additional theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. So too have the performances of his team improved, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently ranked 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.

Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has expanded. This is not only through the rise 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 comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m convinced there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the change in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those ranks can hold out hope that, come 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 – keeps to deliver steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop on that – to reveal 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 know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and exceed the predictions 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 restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be participants at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”