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The moment Tony Popovic eventually brought together his maiden Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a set of standards. Most were straightforward and direct – ideal given the turmoil following his abrupt arrival, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup fixtures against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mindset to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was a further point. Less a demand and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Just over 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, looks really settled as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness sharply contrasts with the expansive and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. So too have the results of his team improved, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling quite distant after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June guaranteed the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s global 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 surprising precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently ranked 50th in the world, and 13th-ranked Colombia – as well as Ecuador’s games against Canada and New Zealand, and the final games of European qualifying – carry weight in this respect.

Even though Popovic admits that he arrived in the job expecting to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now thinks the group he can rely on has swelled. This doesn't only come through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the capability to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has completely 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 truly have much beyond this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I believe 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 created opportunities for players on the edges of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those group can remain optimistic 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 – persists to deliver 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 cap or a halt on that – to declare in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s first talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to pigeonhole 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 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 observing and praising something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”