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The moment Tony Popovic at last brought together his first Socceroos squad, the new coach outlined a range of requirements. Most were unambiguous and direct – suitable considering the upheaval following his abrupt arrival, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to make arrangements for critical 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” attitude to earn, or maintain that distinction. But there was a further theme. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into perspective with any step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

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

Approximately a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, plenty of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s goals stay the same. The coach, for one, seems truly settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity differs greatly with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent discussions with football media. So too have the fortunes of his team progressed, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia feeling fairly far off after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked the Socceroos’ place in next year’s worldwide tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game undefeated 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 breaking into pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment ranked 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 – loom large in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he began in the job assuming to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now feels the pool he can rely on has swelled. This is not only through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s comeback from the wilderness and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the ability to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s possible 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 come into 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 sparked in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet considered amongst those group can keep faith that, in 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 – continues 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 restriction or a end 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 possibility. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s initial address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to impress him, to do something outstanding and rise above the predictions others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something unique is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” 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 emphasize 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 observing and cheering something special from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”