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

When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his first Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a set of expectations. The majority were clear and to the point – perfect considering the turmoil following his unexpected appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mentality to secure, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been brought sharper into focus with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, appears truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast 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 results of his team changed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling rather remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of breaking into 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 last games of European qualifying – are significant in this regard.

While Popovic concedes that he started in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now feels the selection he can call upon has expanded. This is not only through the rise of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with 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 truly 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 convinced there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those circle can hold out hope that, in 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 regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to declare 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“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 competitors 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 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 applauding something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”