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

When Tony Popovic finally gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of expectations. Most were unambiguous and concise – suitable given the turmoil following his abrupt arrival, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mindset to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was a further point. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team progressed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing fairly distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently placed 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 – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic concedes that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has expanded. This is not only through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development 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 come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have come into 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 unforeseen rise of talent, and the shift in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those circle can hold out hope that, in 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 – persists to play 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 cap or a end 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 feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and rise above the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I emphasize 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 watching and praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”