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When Tony Popovic at last gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a set of standards. A lot were clear and to the point – ideal given the turmoil around his sudden appointment, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mentality to deserve, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another theme. More an inspiration and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown 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 introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely settled as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness stands in stark contrast with the open and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team changed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia seeming fairly far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 unexpected precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, presently 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 – are significant in this regard.

While Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now feels the pool he can trust has swelled. This isn’t just through the rise 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 sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide 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 entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much apart from this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are others to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those circle can keep faith 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 – continues 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 limit or a stop on that – to announce 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 an additional player that comes in in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and rise above the predictions 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 boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors 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 a long way 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 praising something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”