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The moment Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a series of standards. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – suitable considering the turmoil around his unexpected entry, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “premier” mentality to earn, or continue to earn that distinction. But there was a further point. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought more distinctly into focus with every 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 stays constant.”

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, appears truly comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness differs greatly with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team improved, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing fairly remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies against Venezuela, at the moment placed 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.

Although Popovic admits that he began in the job expecting to only be able to count on a key players of players, he now feels the pool he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of young players 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 true Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely 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 really have much outside of this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are more to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those group can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 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 restriction or a end 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 believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that comes in in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something special and go beyond the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 deep in the World Cup. And why not this group? Why do we have to wait two or three World Cups, when I’m watching and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”