🔗 Share this article

The moment Tony Popovic at last brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a range of requirements. The majority were unambiguous and concise – perfect in light of the turmoil around his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” mentality to deserve, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional point. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears truly settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. So too have the results of his team progressed, with thoughts of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming fairly far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently 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 – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic admits that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has grown. This is not only through the rise 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 comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much outside of this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 perform regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a end on that – to reveal in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more new faces,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something outstanding and exceed the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something unique 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 emphasize 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 exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”