🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic finally gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a range of requirements. A lot were straightforward and to the point – ideal considering the disruption surrounding his sudden arrival, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to earn, or keep that honour. But there was an additional message. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown clearer into perspective with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline differs greatly with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing rather far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies against Venezuela, at the moment placed 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 – loom large in this regard.

Although Popovic admits that he began in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now believes the group he can call upon has expanded. This isn’t just through the rise of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This surprising rise of talent, and the change in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among 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 be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to deliver 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 restriction or a end on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins 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 surprise him, to do something remarkable and exceed the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 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 sitting back and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”