Tony Popović is officially the new boss of the Socceroos, unveiled on Monday afternoon on a deal that will take him through to the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup cycle.
The first member of the "Golden Generation" of players that ended Australia's long World Cup drought to qualify for the 2006 showpiece, there's something of a changing of the guard to the appointment from a generational perspective. The last three Australian coaches of the Socceroos -- Frank Farina, Ange Postecoglou, and Graham Arnold -- all experienced international playing careers defined by heartache. Popović, in contrast, reached those heights and is likely part of the reason several members of the current squad are even footballers to begin with, or at least were imbued with the passion that propelled them to reach their current levels.
"I want to make sure that the players understand that no one is entitled to that shirt," he said at his unveiling. "Regardless of talent, regardless of age, we need to be honoured to be wearing that shirt and to be called up for the Socceroos."
But fond memories of a penalty shootout win over Uruguay won't score goals against the likes of Japan and Saudi Arabia. And with Popović being parachuted into the job after Arnold's shock resignation smack bang in the middle of AFC World Cup qualification, there are plenty of questions facing down the 51-year-old as he goes to work in his first international posting -- ESPN has taken a look at a few of the most pressing.
The near-term conundrums
Short-termism is an all-too-familiar curse in Australian football but, given the circumstances greeting Popović, the here and now will inevitably dominate the conversation, with one recent Socceroo telling ESPN any new coach would be starting "behind the eight ball." Despite having only just landed back in Australia, in the coming days the new gaffer is required to submit a long list of players to the AFC ahead of for next month's qualifiers, before then whittling that down to a final squad soon after.
And it's a big window coming up. After taking one point from the September window anything less than three points in October would put the Socceroos in a precarious position heading into their remaining six matches of the third phase of Asian qualification; conversations surrounding not just missing out on automatic qualification in this round of qualifiers as a top two finisher in Group C possibly subsiding and begin to be replaced with if even finishing in a position where they would secure a place in subsequent phases of qualification with a third- or fourth-placed finish.
"It's the best time to take [over]. Why wouldn't it be a good time?" Popović asked. "[Bad results] happen. That's football. Results can sometimes mask when something's good as well.
"Results haven't been good in the first two games but look at the history of what's been done with the Socceroos. Have a look at the World Cup. Have a look at a fantastic group of players that did remarkable things over there. A lot of those players are still there, so the talent remains, and a lot of young players have come through, and there are probably a lot of other players who are waiting for their opportunity.
"Five years ago, I wasn't ready for this role. Three years ago, two years ago, I wouldn't have looked at this role. I'm ready. I want this job, so I'm here because I want to be here."
On paper, Australia should be able to defeat China in Adelaide on Oct. 10 regardless of changes in the dugout. Probably handily. And given Popović's record, one may suggest snatching a smash-and-grab in Japan on Oct. 15 isn't out of the question, either. But those same things could have been said about Arnold, too. So just as important will be the new gaffer's ability to show some signs that a foundation is being put in place beyond results, of signs of a new, refreshed, upward trajectory.
The longer-term vision
It's obvious to all involved that the most pressing priority that Football Australia has is qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And that is crucial. It's often remarked that missing out on qualification might just be what Australian football needs to force it to get its act together, but no country should ever see missing out on a World Cup as being anything but disastrous. Further, one would suggest that any nation requiring the shock of not qualifying for a 48-team tournament to spur wide-reaching and deep-rooted change probably isn't equipped to make the reforms that would be required, anyway.
But on a deeper level, beyond the black and white of 2026, it is worth remembering that, at their core, national sides are supposed to be the manifestations of not just the talent of a footballing ecosystem but also its character. Because regardless of the rhetoric, marketing, and mythologising that occurs around them, what the Socceroos -- and the Matildas -- actually produce on the pitch will always represent the sum total of Australia's parts, what it really is as a footballing nation. Wins are the priority but how do Popović and the federation envision securing them in both a sustainable manner and one that reflects what Australian football wants to be?
Australia wants to qualify and perform at World Cups. But it always wants to be amongst the best sides in Asia. Popović said on Monday he wanted his side to "play better than the Socceroos have ever played" and Football Australia's XI Principles document speaks of identifying "characteristics of a style of play which are authentic and resonate with Australian society." So long-term, how does it get there? Because, as the games against Bahrain and Indonesia show, the truth, eventually, will always manifest on the pitch.
"The Australian public is on board," Popović said on Monday. "If you win, the public is on board. And then when you win, there will always be the discussion, how can we do it better? And that's a good discussion. That's the right discussion. But we need to win.
"Australia needs to be qualifying for World Cups. We should look to always evolve our playing style. We should always look to improve. But qualifying is not easy. How many in the last five World Cups? How many times have we gone automatically through?
"It's always okay to win ugly. You ask any coach, it's okay to win ugly. That's not to say that you're planning to play that way. When you win is actually when you should be even more detailed on how you should get better. We should look for the details when we win. I'll never be satisfied when we win and we don't play well, we'll be satisfied with the win, but we need to make sure that the style gets better.
"But we've seen the qualifiers ... two times in the last five we've qualified automatically. Which tells you something, it's not easy. That's the tough part. Should we not aim for first spot? No. We should always aim to be the best. If you have that expectation of a good playing style, great, keep asking the question. But you should also have an expectation of winning."
How to break down stubborn defences?
Ok, now onto more of the minutia. The bedrock of Popović's success as a coach has been his ability to instil a rock-solid defensive foundation for his teams, with Melbourne Victory finishing either with the best or second-best expected goals (xG) conceded record in the A-League Men during his three-year stint. But defending has not been the issue for the Socceroos under Arnold, either, with the unit only allowing opponents to put the ball into the net four times across 16 fixtures over the past year -- three of those goals scored by Premier League attackers -- and being near-universally renowned across Asia.
It's moving forward that's the issue, scoring goals and, to an even greater extent, playing the kind of football that creates goalscoring opportunities at all. Per ESPN Stats and Information, the Socceroos produced just 0.47 expected goals from open play in their 1-0 loss to Bahrain earlier this month and just 0.52 against Indonesia in Jakarta, representative of an ongoing trend at this level of Asian football wherein the side can be relied upon to have plenty of the ball but, beyond set-piece opportunities, fail to produce the kind of chances that will reliably turn into goals.
Thus, if Popović is going to make a material impact on the Socceroos as a footballing unit, it will be the changes he implements to raise their functionality in possession that will be key. And it's here where many of the eyebrows being raised surrounding his appointment have come from given that, throughout his decade-long career as a head coach, dynamic and free-flowing football isn't something that has generally been associated with Popović's teams.
"The [games against Bahrain and Indonesia], obviously the performances probably were not what everyone wanted. I'm sure the players would take responsibility for that as well. I don't think it'll take too much to change the way we play against China." he said.
"But it's not so much what we do different, what we will do is make sure that what we do, we do it very well. We do it with the energy, we do it with the desire, and we do it with a speed and dynamic type of play that I think the players will enjoy
"I think we'll see the start of that progress against China, and as the games go on, I'm sure it'll get better and better."
Who plays up front?
While the Socceroos struggles to break down stubborn defences ran far deeper than who was leading the line -- as evidenced by the quality of the chances the side was able to create -- Arnold's inability to call upon a No. 9 who can be relied upon to consistently put the ball in the back of the net did hamstring his efforts. Since the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup, strikers have only scored in six of the 19 fixtures the team have played and in only three competitive fixtures, none of which came at the Asian Cup.
Throughout this period it's been apparent that Arnold has been seeking to groom Kusini Yengi to become the Socceroos' main striker, with Mitch Duke serving as the preferred backup but, with the arrival of a new gaffer, that may all change.
Does the shift in the dugout open the door for Adam Taggart or Brandon Borrello to force their way to prominence? When fit, can Apostolos Stamatelopoulos or Nick D'Agostino -- whose career was revitalised by Popović at Perth Glory and Victory -- take a chance to force their way into contention? Can John Iredale keep his place or does a new coaching staff seeking to put their stamp on things see someone like Mohamed Touré -- being increasingly integrated at Randers -- as possessing the upside meriting a roster spot?
Who plays in goal?
There's also the question of who dons the gloves in the months ahead. Mat Ryan and Joe Gauci have been entrenched as the first- and second-choice options for Arnold but given that the former hasn't played a game of competitive club football since May and the latter hasn't done so since last December, it's not unfair to question if the arrival of Popović could see a reassessment.
Admittedly, there's not exactly a horde of options banging down the door. But at the same time that Ryan and Gauci have been on the bench for AS Roma and Aston Villa, Paul Izzo has been playing week in and week out for Randers in the Danish Superliga. What's more beneficial, training every week in two of the best leagues in the world Serie A and the Premier League, or playing regularly at a lower level? Popović might have his own view of that and given Izzo's move to Denmark was only made possible after a standout 2023-24 A-League Men season under the new boss at Victory, there is already a baseline of trust that's been established between those two.
And then there's the wildcard in this whole equation, Mitch Langerak. The veteran shot-stopper retired from international football during COVID and though he was briefly lured back into the national setup before the World Cup, the decision to leave him out of that squad saw him return to international seclusion. With a move back to Victory already teed up for January, the 36-year-old could opt to remain unavailable as his career winds down but given the high-level of play he continues to demonstrate in the J1 League -- keeping four clean sheets in his last six games for Nagoya Grampus -- he's certainly playing at a high enough level to justify selection.
"If they've officially retired, then they're out of the Socceroos, aren't they?" said Popović, in an answer that also speaks to Massimo Luongo's status. "If they want to come back in, they have to make that clear that they want to play for the Socceroos. And if they make themselves available, then we can look into that.
"I haven't [spoken to Ryan]. I haven't spoken to any players. This has happened so quickly, and I've just arrived. [Ryan's] had an amazing career, and has done wonderful things for the Socceroos, playing the last two games, and I look forward to seeing when he comes into camp."
What does the squad look like moving forward?
One of Arnold's greatest virtues as Socceroos coach was his work to usher in a period of squad rejuvenation as figures such as Tim Cahill, Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic all made their international farewells. And these efforts have been rewarded with a rising crop of talent that, in the now-former coach's view, has given the squad a far greater level of depth than they did at the start of his tenure, with the likes of Harry Souttar, Riley McGree, Jordy Bos, Alessandro Circati, Connor Metcalfe, and now Nestory Irankunda all regular squad members.
Will Popović look to continue this trend and make a concerted effort to bring fresh faces into the ranks of the Socceroos? Or will his assessment of the current state of play determine that, while allowing for prospects to emerge and demand selection, the current ranks of the national side are sufficient for what he plans to do?
Looking beyond the relatively simple matter of youth coming through, matters of personal preferences, personality and squad dynamics will inevitably shift with a new coach and, as a result, might see some changes to the squad, too. While it's a silly exercise in armchair psychology to pontificate on how the new coach will mesh with players on an individual basis, it isn't unfair to assume that the dynamics of the dressing room will shift from Arnold's carefully manufactured "Socceroos family" environment with Popović's arrival and that could have a flow-on effect to matters of selection.
One thing the coach -- who confirmed he will be based in Australia throughout his tenure -- made very clear at his unveiling, strongly, is that there should be no talk about Australia not having the "cattle" to perform.
"We have good players," he said. "It's a different generation, players that are now playing overseas. We've got young players coming through in the A-League.
"We exceeded expectations at the World Cup and what follows from that is, we expect more in the Asian qualifiers. That's not a bad thing, is it? And I hope you expect more from me, I hope you sit there and you expect more.
"When we win, you expect more. That way, with that mindset, we have a chance to grow and get better. And I want to be at the forefront of that and I want to lead the way to make sure that our expectations remain.
"Challenges, yes, there are always challenges in life. Whether players are fit or not, there'll always be another player. Someone else may grab that opportunity, and it may be him who becomes the next star. So, let's see what's out there."