Tony Popovic has thrown down the gauntlet to Daniel Arzani and other Socceroos hopefuls with the team entering a critical 2025, declaring that only those who can raise their game to an elite level -- and keep it there -- will "survive."
Amid a 120-day break between World Cup qualifiers, Popovic recently returned to Australia after a period scouting players in Europe, attending A-League Men matches and assembling his staff at Football Australia's Sydney offices this week to review their first two windows in charge and lay plans for the months ahead.
Picking up a win and three draws since taking over after Graham Arnold's resignation in September, Popovic's Socceroos occupy the second of two automatic qualifications slots in Group C heading into March fixtures against Indonesia and China; trailing Japan, but just a point clear of a trailing pack of four nations. The third- and fourth-placed finishers in the group will advance to a further phase of qualification but the bottom two nations will have their hopes of qualification end. Given the stakes -- and his expectations -- Popovic says every one of Australia's players has to improve.
"Every player needs to raise their level," said the coach. "That's how we want to be. We want to be competing with the best.
"In our last two World Cups, we [qualified] through the playoffs -- but we keep expecting to make top two [in qualifying]. That's good but if we expect to come in the top two, then we must raise the level, we must raise the bar. Your expectation, my expectation, should be higher, because history shows we don't do that often. We don't go automatically to World Cups. But that's something that we should aspire to, we shouldn't shy away from that.
"The Socceroos is the highest level possible. You're playing for your country. That needs to be elite. The elite will survive. And if you're not elite, you're not gonna be able to play for the Socceroos. That's basically what we're saying to everyone."
Across an extended conversation with media ahead of another trip to Europe, Popovic spoke on several issues confronting the national side, confirming, amongst other developments, that Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson's international status remains unchanged: "If he was available to play for Australia he'd certainly be on the list of a potential player to come in March. But nothing's changed."
The former Melbourne Victory boss was also quizzed on the international future of mercurial attacker Arzani, who was selected in Popovic's first squad in October before being left out in November. Like his teammates, the winger has struggled in front of goal this A-League season, leading the league in successful dribbles and second in expected assists per 90, but producing just three assists and no goals from open play.
And the Socceroos coach didn't mince his words.
"I know Daniel well," he said. "He's got potential and we talk about him with potential; we've been talking about that since he was 18. What's he now, 26?
"He needs to raise his level. We need goals, we need assists. That's what Daniel needs to do. Doing one good dribble, one good trick or setting up one goal should not be enough to play for the Socceroos. There needs to be more.
"I had him in camp in October. He knows what I think of him -- I'm [saying] something now that he knows: he wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough in October. His level was really poor in training.
"Maybe for him, it's okay. But it's not enough."
Popovic's demands for consistent performances also extended to the young players in the A-League seen as on the cusp of a national team call-up. Jed Drew at Macarthur FC, Melbourne Victory's Ryan Teague, Western United striker Noah Botić, and Western Sydney Wanderers' Nicolas Milanović have all generated national team buzz with their performances across the opening half of the season, but the coach made clear that expectations would rise to another level with the Socceroos.
"A young player can have a good game [but] we're looking for that consistency," said Popovic. "And if they're consistent, can they step up to another level to play for the Socceroos? That's another level altogether.
"Every player is in the mix, regardless of age -- I don't think that that should matter. It's more about whether they can raise their level again. Playing at club level is one thing, you have to raise your level [with the Socceroos] and then you have to back up that performance four days later. You hear a lot of players play and say: 'Well, I was fit enough to play the second game four days later.'
"But that's just to play. We need the elite level.
"We're talking now about three or four young strikers that are playing. Now the question is, in three or four years, can we be watching one of them playing in the bigger leagues in Europe? That's the question, can they take the game to another level? The level they're at now, it's not good enough to play in Europe. That's just the reality. They would have to improve significantly.
"This is part of the journey."