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The moment Tony Popovic at last assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach outlined a range of standards. The majority were unambiguous and concise – perfect in light of the disruption around his unexpected appointment, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “elite” attitude to earn, or maintain that privilege. But there was another point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast sharper into view with every step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my first talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That remains the same.”

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions stay the same. The coach, for one, seems genuinely settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s reputation for strictness sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become semi-regular sit-downs with football media. Likewise have the results of his team improved, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling rather remote after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those triumphs came as part of an 11-game unbeaten run 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 unexpected precipice of breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November friendlies 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.

Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to rely on a main squad of players, he now thinks the group he can trust has grown. This is not only through the rise of young players such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the cases of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

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

This unforeseen emergence of talent, and the shift in thinking it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered among those circle 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 – keeps 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 restriction or a halt on that – to declare 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 an additional player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, returns us to Popovic’s introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something remarkable and rise above the hopes others have for them, he wants his team to have the same attitude.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have boundaries’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine 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 sitting back and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have restrictions? Why not do it now?”