🔗 Share this article

The moment Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a series of expectations. Most were straightforward and to the point – ideal considering the upheaval around his sudden appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to secure, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was an additional message. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast more distinctly into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness stands in stark contrast with the open and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected edge of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes 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 – loom large in this regard.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now believes the pool he can rely on has expanded. This isn’t just through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really 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 more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise 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 viewed among 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 miss a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to play steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot 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 know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that comes in in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding and exceed the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

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