🔗 Share this article

The moment Tony Popovic eventually assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of expectations. The majority were unambiguous and concise – perfect in light of the turmoil following his abrupt entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to earn, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown sharper into perspective with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something special, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity differs greatly with the expansive and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. So too have the performances of his team changed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia feeling fairly far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances 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.

Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has swelled. This isn’t just through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge 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 really have much apart from this. Just manage 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 trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – persists to perform steadily, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a stop on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I keep saying 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 praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”