🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a set of standards. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – ideal given the upheaval surrounding his unexpected appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with every step taken on the journey 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.”

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. Likewise have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories 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 unlikely precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently positioned 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 – loom large in this regard.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he began in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has swelled. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development 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 attainable 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 get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the change in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within 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 be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – continues to perform consistently, then the coach is emphasizing 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 inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something special and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 keep saying 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 cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”