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When Tony Popovic eventually gathered his initial Socceroos squad, the fresh coach outlined a range of standards. The majority were unambiguous and to the point – suitable given the upheaval surrounding his abrupt appointment, after Graham Arnold’s departure, and with less than three weeks to prepare for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aspired to pull on a Socceroos shirt would need to take on an “top-tier” attitude to deserve, or keep that privilege. But there was another theme. Less a demand and more an evocation – and one that has been thrown more distinctly into focus with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

“My expectations 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, plenty of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations are the same. The coach, for one, looks genuinely comfortable as Socceroos head. The 52-year-old’s image for austerity sharply contrasts with the approachable and at times cheerful figure holding court for over an hour in what have become periodic sit-downs with football media. So too have the performances of his team improved, with thoughts of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia seeming rather far off after wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia in June secured the Socceroos’ place in next year’s global tournament.

Those wins came as part of an 11-game winning streak under Popovic, one that was only broken away by the United States earlier this month. It’s form that has taken the Socceroos to the unexpected edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, presently positioned 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 context.

Even though Popovic concedes that he started in the job thinking to only be able to depend on a core group of players, he now feels the group he can rely on has grown. This doesn't only come through the emergence of talented youth such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as authentic international players. There are also the likes of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s growth into a bona fide Socceroos keeper with the potential to push Maty Ryan.

“The squad has totally changed in my mind – of what’s attainable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t fully have much beyond this. Just make it work and make them better.’ Now, I believe like there are 15, 20 players that have come into that, and I’m certain there are additional ones to come that I believe can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unexpected rise of talent, and the shift in thinking it has sparked in Popovic, has paved the way 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 miss 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 in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap 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 know 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 introductory talk as Socceroos head coach. For just as much as he wants players to exceed expectations him, to do something remarkable and exceed the expectations others have for them, he wants his team to have the same philosophy.

“Saying I want to do something special is just ‘we don’t want to have limits’,” Popovic says. “We don’t want to box ourselves into ‘let’s be contenders at the World Cup, and let’s go home and celebrate for being there’.

“I repeat 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 cheering something remarkable from the Socceroos? Why should we have boundaries? Why not do it now?”