{‘Why do we have to wait?’: Popovic imposes no limits on what Australia can accomplish.

When Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a set of expectations. Most were clear and direct – suitable considering the turmoil following his unexpected arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mindset to deserve, or keep that distinction. But there was another message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought clearer into focus with every 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, many of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular discussions with football media. Likewise have the results of his team improved, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place 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 entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 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 – are significant in this context.

While Popovic concedes that he started in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now feels the group he can trust has expanded. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the change in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those group can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 – keeps to play regularly, 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 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 feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 observing and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”