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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually brought together his first Socceroos squad, the fresh coach presented a range of standards. Most were straightforward and direct – suitable in light of the turmoil following his abrupt appointment, following Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with under three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who hoped to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” attitude to earn, or continue to earn that honour. But there was another theme. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been cast clearer into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, appears genuinely at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the open and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing rather distant after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s global tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game winning 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 surprising brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances of November exhibition games 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 last games of European qualifying – are significant in this context.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a main squad of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has swelled. This isn’t just through the rise of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the capability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much beyond this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have joined that, and I’m convinced there are additional ones to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected appearance of talent, and the change in thinking it has inspired in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet considered within those ranks can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 perform regularly, then the coach is stating plainly they’re every chance of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a halt on that – to announce 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 feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the predictions 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 box ourselves into ‘let’s be competitors at the World Cup, and let’s go home and pat each other on the back 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 special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”