🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach presented a set of expectations. Most were straightforward and to the point – perfect in light of the upheaval surrounding his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mindset to deserve, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was an additional theme. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown sharper into focus with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something special, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, appears really settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s image for discipline sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team improved, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling fairly far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic, one that was only snapped away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches 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 – are significant in this context.

Although Popovic admits that he started in the job expecting to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has grown. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with 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 fully have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the transformation in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those ranks 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 – continues 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 halt 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 opportunity. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something special and go beyond the predictions 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 competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back for being there’.

“I keep saying 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 watching and cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”