🔗 Share this article

As soon as Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a series of expectations. Most were clear and concise – perfect in light of the turmoil following his sudden arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with under three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “premier” attitude to secure, or keep that honour. But there was a further message. More an inspiration and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought more distinctly 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 introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team improved, with memories of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling quite far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the pool he can trust has grown. This isn’t just through the rise of talented youth 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 sidelines and Paul Izzo’s development into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally 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 apart from this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the change in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can remain optimistic that, in June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 deliver consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a halt on that – to declare 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 possibility. Why can’t there be another player that joins in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole 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 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 observing and cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”