Football News
‘Part machine’: World Cup success lies in the details for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic
As a player Popovic was relentless in being his best. But behind his ruthless reputation is a focused leader deeply committed to his playersWhere Tony Popovic goes, a culture follows. It’s been one of the most consistent themes of his time in dugouts across Australia. It was there at Western Sydney, when he was entrusted with the newly created side and turned them into Asian champions within two seasons. It was there when he was brought into Perth Glory and led them to their first piece of silverware in the A-League era. And it was there after he arrived at Melbourne Victory, who were reeling from their first wooden spoon, and delivered an Australia Cup and grand final appearance.It was visible, too, when he was parachuted into the Socceroos role in 2024, just days after Graham Arnold’s resignation and with only weeks to prepare before crucial qualifiers against China and Japan. The initial change wasn’t perhaps as wholesale as some might have expected. Popovic needed time to get his feet under him, observe what was taking place, and plan changes (lollies definitely did disappear from meetings, though). But a well-established reputation preceded him and a change of mood in the halls began as players adjusted to new expectations and demands – both stated and presumed.In a Victory-produced documentary made during his first year at the club, Popovic recounted a story from his teenage years, when his mother volunteered his family to clean a nearby bakery. He did a good job, but the next week, when then 16-year-old Popovic suggested staying home to rest before a game the next day, his father responded: “If you decide not to go [to clean], you will never make it in football, because you are satisfied with your level. At the moment, you are content with just being good. You don’t want to be the best.” He returned to the bakery and, in his recollection, did an even better job cleaning it than the week prior; imbued with a lesson not just about working hard once, but repeating that effort to be even better.Popovic went on to play 58 times for the Socceroos, including being part of the golden generation side that qualified for the 2006 World Cup. He earned an esteem not just for his fierce nature on the field – named “the Enforcer” by teammates – but also for an obsession with details and doing everything he could off the field to extract every ounce of potential from his body.While at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, he suffered what a specialist told him was a career-ending toe injury, only to completely change the way he played and prepared, and keep going for another 12 years, including a stint in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. This attitude transferred to his coaching too. “He used to look at things I didn’t even think of looking at,” says Brendan Hamill, who played under Popovic at Wanderers and Victory. When asked what some of these small details are, he laughs. “A gram of bodyweight! It’s details that make the big difference for him.”Indeed, a proper diet is a big focus for Popovic: the best athletes are the ones who are fuelling their bodies in the right way. But you don’t need talent to eat the right things, the coach observes, especially when you’ve got a legion of staff there to support you. Sports dietician Julie Meek was one of his first appointments upon his ascension to national team coach. Adequate sleep and recovery is another, with detailed instructions for when to get shut-eye on long flights across multiple time zones and new pillows distributed during the March camp. “You could almost say he’s part machine,” assistant coach Hayden Foxe once said of his boss.There is, of course, a focus on the games, too. The smallest of details, right down to where you step or how you move, are identified and communicated in case that’s the difference between victory and defeat. So is doing the right things in training. You don’t have to train well, but you damn well better be doing your utmost.“I can’t handle poor training attitude because that leads to bad performance,” he told players in the Victory documentary. “You can train shit, I can accept that, and me and the staff will work hard to help you get better. When I see in someone’s eyes, ‘I want to get better every day,’ I’ll do anything for you, anything. On the park, off the park, for your family, whatever your kids need, I’ll fucking do it. But give me the wrong attitude, you’re gone for me.”Invariably, ruthlessness accompanies this approach. But if you don’t meet his expectations? Plenty have been cast aside, sometimes unceremoniously. His arrival in the national team was no different, bringing significant turnover for the squad, coaches and support staff. At the same time, however, his reputation as an austere disciplinarian isn’t wholly reflective of reality, either. The inner sanctum has been closely guarded during his tenure, but it’s easy to observe the coach joking around with his players, playing keepy-uppy, and relaxing at training before it’s time to lock in.Few would argue Popovic’s arrival wasn’t what the team needed. After a World Cup qualifying defeat against Bahrain on the Gold Coast in September 2024, the spirit of the Socceroos family that underpinned so much of their success under Arnold had frayed. Arnold clearly had more to give – observe his elevation to hero status in Iraq after leading them to a first World Cup in 40 years – but he and the Socceroos had come as far as they could. Players, professionals who were ready to be pushed, were up for a vibe shift. And they got one.Now, with a World Cup looming, Popovic has become visibly more comfortable as he’s adjusted to the post, and it is apparent he and his staff have a better handle on what’s worth sweating and what is not. He now faces his biggest test of all: a World Cup. The realisation of nearly 40 years of dedication and learning, distilled into four weeks when he leads his country on the world’s biggest stage.
Joey LynchWed, 03 Jun 2026
Source: The Guardian
