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

As soon as Tony Popovic finally assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a series of standards. A lot were straightforward and to the point – suitable considering the turmoil surrounding his unexpected entry, in the wake of 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 asserted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to secure, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was an additional theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown clearer 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 introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, looks really settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the approachable and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 unlikely edge of breaking into 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this regard.

While Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job assuming to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now feels the pool he can call upon has expanded. This isn’t just through the emergence of young players 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 blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the change in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can remain optimistic that, in June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – keeps to play regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a end 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 know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves 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 applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”