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When Tony Popovic at last assembled his initial Socceroos squad, the new coach presented a series of standards. The majority were straightforward and concise – perfect given the disruption around his abrupt arrival, following Graham Arnold’s departure, and with under three weeks to prepare for vital 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan.

Popovic insisted that any player who aimed to wear a Socceroos shirt would need to embrace an “elite” mindset to earn, or keep that privilege. But there was another point. Not so much an order and an invitation to excel – and one that has been brought sharper into view with every step taken on the path towards the World Cup in North America.

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

A little more than a year on from that team talk in an Adelaide hotel, a lot of other things have evolved, even if Popovic’s expectations remain the same. The coach, for one, looks really at home as Socceroos manager. The 52-year-old’s standing for strictness differs greatly with the expansive and at times cheerful figure speaking freely for over an hour in what have become frequent sit-downs with football media. So too have the results of his team changed, with recollections of a defeat to Bahrain and tie with Indonesia appearing rather distant after wins 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 undefeated streak under Popovic, one that was only ended away by the United States earlier this month. It’s performance that has taken the Socceroos to the unlikely edge of crashing pot two in the World Cup draw. The outcomes of November exhibition games against Venezuela, at the moment placed 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 context.

Even though Popovic admits that he started in the job assuming to only be able to depend on a key players of players, he now thinks the selection he can trust has grown. This is not only through the emergence of youngsters such as Nestory Irankunda, Max Balard, or Mohamed Touré as real international players. There are also the examples of Miloš Degenek’s reappearance from the obscurity and Paul Izzo’s blossoming into a true Socceroos keeper with the potential to compete with Maty Ryan.

“The squad has entirely changed in my mind – of what’s achievable with players that have come in,” Popovic says. “I first thought, ‘OK, this is my group; I don’t truly 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 others to come that I trust can help make us better as a squad at the World Cup.”

This unforeseen appearance of talent, and the change in outlook it has sparked in Popovic, has opened the door for players on the fringes of the squad. Even those not yet regarded within those group can remain optimistic 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 play steadily, then the coach is emphasizing they’re in with a shot of being part of his plans.

“I don’t want to put a cap or a halt on that – to announce in March that this is our squad, and there may be one or two more additions,” Popovic says. “No, I want every player to feel that they have an opportunity. Why can’t there be another player that comes in in June?”

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