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As soon as Tony Popovic at last brought together his first Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a series of expectations. A lot were unambiguous and direct – suitable given the turmoil following his unexpected appointment, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “top-tier” attitude to earn, or keep that distinction. But there was an additional theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown clearer into view with every step taken on the journey towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations were to do something special, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

A little more than a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, looks really settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with memories of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming quite distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those victories came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies against Venezuela, currently 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 regard.

Even though Popovic concedes that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now believes the group he can trust has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough 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 obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much apart from this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m certain 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 mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those group can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the plane. 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 – keeps to play consistently, then the coach is stating plainly they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop on that – to declare 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 possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate 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 observing and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”