🔗 Share this article

The moment Tony Popovic at last gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of expectations. A lot were clear and to the point – perfect in light of the upheaval surrounding his abrupt entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mindset to earn, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was another theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought more distinctly into view with any step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness differs greatly with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia appearing rather remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November friendlies 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this context.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can rely on has grown. 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 obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential 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 fully have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the shift in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those group can keep faith 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 – keeps to play regularly, then the coach is emphasizing 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 know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that comes in in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box 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 very far 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 remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”