When Tony Popovic eventually assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a range of expectations. The majority were straightforward and to the point – perfect in light of the turmoil around his abrupt appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.
Popovic maintained that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mindset to earn, or keep that privilege. But there was an additional theme. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown clearer into focus with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.
“My expectations were to do something remarkable, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”
Just over a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears really at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline sharply contrasts with the open and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the fortunes of his team changed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November friendlies 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 – loom large in this regard.
Even though Popovic admits that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has swelled. This is not only through the emergence of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to challenge Maty Ryan.
“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly have much beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain there are others to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”
This unexpected emergence of talent, and the change in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed amongst those circle can hold out hope that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.
“I don’t want to put a cap 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 one more player that comes in in June?”
But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and rise above the hopes 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 limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate 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 observing and praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”
