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As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his maiden Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of standards. Most were clear and to the point – ideal considering the disruption following his unexpected entry, after Graham Arnold’s exit, and with less than three weeks to get ready for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to represent in a Socceroos shirt would need to adopt an “elite” mentality to secure, or keep that honour. But there was another point. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been cast clearer into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that gathering 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 reputation for strictness differs greatly with the open and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become periodic discussions with football media. Likewise have the performances of his team progressed, with recollections of a loss to Bahrain and stalemate with Indonesia seeming rather far off after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ spot in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories 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 performance that has taken the Socceroos to the surprising precipice of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The results of November warm-up matches 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 last games of European qualifying – carry weight in this context.

While Popovic concedes that he arrived in the job assuming to only be able to count on a main squad of players, he now feels the selection he can trust has swelled. This is not only through the breakthrough of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as genuine international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s return from the obscurity 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 joined,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t really have much beyond this. Just get by and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m certain there are more to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected emergence of talent, and the transformation in mindset it has inspired in Popovic, has created opportunities for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can keep faith that, by June next year, they could be on the roster. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to miss 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 stop 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 feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be an additional player that steps up in June?”

But this expansion, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s introductory speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something special and go beyond 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 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 celebrate 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 sitting back and applauding something exceptional from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”