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The moment Tony Popovic finally assembled his first Socceroos squad, the recently appointed coach detailed a series of standards. A lot were straightforward and to the point – ideal in light of the turmoil following his sudden arrival, following Graham Arnold’s exit, and with fewer than three weeks to get ready for critical 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.

Popovic maintained that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” attitude to secure, or keep that privilege. But there was a further theme. Not so much an order and a call to greatness – and one that has been cast sharper into focus with each step taken on the road towards the World Cup in North America.

“My visions were to do something extraordinary, in my introductory talk to the players,” Popovic says. “That hasn’t changed.”

Just over a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have shifted, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, appears truly settled as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for strictness sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times jovial figure engaging openly for over an hour in what have become semi-regular interviews with football media. Similarly have the performances of his team improved, with memories of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather remote after successes over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ berth in next year’s international tournament.

Those victories 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 crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The performances 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 final games of European qualifying – loom large in this respect.

While Popovic admits that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the pool he can trust has expanded. This is not only through the rise of talented youth 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 sidelines and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a genuine Socceroos keeper with the potential 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 make it work and make them better.’ Now, I feel like there are 15, 20 players that have entered that, and I’m convinced there are more to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This surprising rise of talent, and the transformation in outlook it has brought about in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed among those circle can keep faith that, in June next year, they could be on the plane. A player like Adrian Segečić might be about to be absent for a month of playing due to an ankle injury, but if he – or any other player – persists to perform steadily, then the coach is making clear they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a restriction or a stop 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 feel that they have an possibility. Why can’t there be one more player that joins in June?”

But this growth, in a way, leads back to Popovic’s introductory address as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and go beyond the hopes 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 box ourselves into ‘let’s be participants at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I keep saying it to the group: one day, Australia will go deep 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 limits? Why not do it now?”