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As soon as Tony Popovic at last assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach detailed a range of standards. Most were straightforward and to the point – ideal in light of the upheaval around his abrupt entry, in the wake of Graham Arnold’s resignation, and with fewer than three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic asserted that any player who aspired to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “premier” mindset to deserve, or maintain that distinction. But there was another point. More an inspiration and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought clearer into perspective 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 hasn’t changed.”

Approximately a year on from that gathering in an Adelaide hotel, many of other things have changed, even if Popovic’s ambitions are the same. The coach, for one, seems truly at home as Socceroos boss. The 52-year-old’s standing for discipline stands in stark contrast with the expansive and at times light-hearted figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic interviews with football media. Similarly have the fortunes of his team changed, with recollections of a setback to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming fairly remote after victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June booked 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 form that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely precipice of entering pot two in the World Cup draw. The results 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 remaining games of European qualifying – carry weight in this respect.

Even though Popovic concedes that he began in the job expecting to only be able to rely on a core group of players, he now thinks the pool he can rely on has expanded. This doesn't only come through the emergence 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 comeback from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s development into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to challenge Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s possible with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much outside of this. Just manage and make them better.’ Now, I think like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m sure there are others to come that I feel can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen rise of talent, and the shift in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the periphery of the squad. Even those not yet viewed within those ranks can keep faith that, come June next year, they could be on the roster. 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 deliver consistently, 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 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 know that they have an chance. Why can’t there be another player that steps up in June?”

But this broadening, in a way, brings us back to Popovic’s first speech as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something outstanding and exceed the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same mindset.

“Saying I want to do something exceptional is just ‘we don’t want to have restrictions’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to confine ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders 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 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 cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have limits? Why not do it now?”