🔗 Share this article

When Tony Popovic finally gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a range of expectations. Most were straightforward and to the point – perfect considering the turmoil around his abrupt appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to get ready 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” mindset to earn, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was another point. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been brought sharper into view 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 stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling rather far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 surprising edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies 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 – are significant in this respect.

Although Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the change in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those ranks 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 – continues to deliver 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 inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and rise above 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 restrictions’,” 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 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 praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”