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As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a series of standards. A lot were unambiguous and concise – ideal in light of the turmoil surrounding his unexpected entry, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” attitude to earn, or continue to earn that honour. But there was an additional point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast sharper into focus with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline stands in stark contrast with the approachable and at times light-hearted figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team improved, with thoughts of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November warm-up matches against Venezuela, currently 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 respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job expecting to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the shift in outlook it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet regarded among those group can hold out hope that, in 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 – continues to play consistently, then the coach is emphasizing they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

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

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and go beyond the hopes 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 pigeonhole 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 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 exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”