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As soon as Tony Popovic at last gathered his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a range of standards. Most were unambiguous and direct – perfect in light of the turmoil around his unexpected entry, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” mentality to earn, or keep that honour. But there was a further message. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been thrown sharper into view with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks truly at home as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s standing for austerity differs greatly with the approachable and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team changed, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and draw with Indonesia appearing rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs 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 crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November friendlies 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 remaining games of European qualifying – loom large in this regard.

Even though Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to count on a core group of players, he now feels the pool he can trust has swelled. This doesn't only come through the rise of talented youth 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 wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with 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 get by and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the shift in mindset it has sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those group can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 steadily, then the coach is stating plainly they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a stop on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more inclusions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to believe that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that joins in June?”

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

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 watching and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”