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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of standards. A lot were unambiguous and to the point – perfect in light of the turmoil surrounding his unexpected appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with less than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mindset to secure, or maintain that privilege. But there was another theme. Not so much an order and more an evocation – and one that has been brought more distinctly into view with each step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s goals are the same. The coach, for one, seems truly at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team improved, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia feeling fairly distant after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches 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 last games of European qualifying – loom large in this regard.

While Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now believes the group he can trust has expanded. This isn’t just through the rise 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 obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a true Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally 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 truly have much beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered 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 unexpected rise of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those ranks can hold out hope that, in 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 limit or a halt on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to know that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to surprise him, to do something remarkable and rise above the predictions 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 contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and congratulate ourselves 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 cheering something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”