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As soon as Tony Popovic eventually assembled his first Socceroos squad, the new coach detailed a range of requirements. The majority were straightforward and direct – ideal considering the upheaval surrounding his unexpected appointment, after Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for vital 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who hoped to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “top-tier” mindset to secure, or continue to earn that privilege. But there was a further theme. Less a demand and a call to greatness – and one that has been brought sharper into perspective with any step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that meeting in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s ambitions remain the same. The coach, for one, looks truly comfortable as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure holding court for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Likewise have the results of his team changed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those wins 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 momentum that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely brink of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment 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 – are significant in this respect.

Although Popovic acknowledges that he started in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a key players of players, he now believes the pool he can trust has expanded. This is not only through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the sidelines and Paul Izzo’s growth into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have come in,” 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 think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m convinced there are others to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising appearance of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has brought about in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those group can remain optimistic that, come June next year, they could be on the flight. 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 – persists to play regularly, then the coach is making clear they’re highly likely of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a limit or a halt on that – to reveal 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 another player that joins in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, returns us 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 restrictions’,” 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 a long way 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 limits? Why not do it now?”