{‘Why do we have to wait?’: Popovic places no limits on what the Socceroos can attain.

As soon as Tony Popovic at last gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a range of expectations. A lot were clear and concise – suitable given the turmoil around his sudden appointment, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was an additional message. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions 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 evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, seems truly at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming quite distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the final games of European qualifying – are significant in this context.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now feels the pool he can rely on has expanded. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of young players 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 development into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable 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 joined that, and I’m certain there are others to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the shift 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 amongst those group can hold out hope that, in 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 play consistently, 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 feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another 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 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 exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I emphasize 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 sitting back and applauding something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”