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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually brought together his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a range of requirements. Most were clear and to the point – ideal in light of the turmoil around his abrupt arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to get ready for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mentality to deserve, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was a further theme. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my initial talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

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 expectations stay the same. The coach, for one, appears truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for discipline stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become frequent interviews with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming rather distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s worldwide 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, currently ranked 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 – are significant in this respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has expanded. This is not only through the breakthrough of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have entered,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much outside of this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are others to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the change in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet regarded amongst those ranks can remain optimistic that, by June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 – keeps to perform steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a halt on that – to reveal 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 chance. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable 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 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 repeat it to the group: one day, Australia will go very far 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 praising something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”