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As soon as Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a range of expectations. Most were straightforward and concise – ideal given the disruption following his abrupt entry, 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 maintained that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” attitude to earn, or keep that honour. But there was another point. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into perspective with each step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, looks really at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. Similarly have the results of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing fairly distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot 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 precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, at the moment positioned 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 respect.

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 trust has grown. This is not only through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just make it work 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 trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 deliver consistently, then the coach is stating plainly 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 additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know 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 first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations 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 exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be participants 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 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 praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”