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The moment Tony Popovic finally gathered his first Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a series of expectations. Most were clear and to the point – ideal considering the disruption around his abrupt entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was another point. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for austerity stands in stark contrast with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team improved, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing rather distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak 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 surprising edge of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes 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 final games of European qualifying – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic admits that he began in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now thinks the pool he can trust has grown. This isn’t just through the emergence 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 reappearance from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those group can hold out hope that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – persists to play regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop on that – to reveal 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 an additional player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

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