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When Tony Popovic eventually brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a range of standards. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – suitable in light of the disruption around his sudden appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mindset to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was a further theme. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into view with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals remain the same. The coach, for one, appears really comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing quite distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently 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 – carry weight in this context.

Even though Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can call upon has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really 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 convinced there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those ranks can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable and rise above the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves for being there’.

“I emphasize 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 sitting back and cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”