Popovic's rapid exposure to the twists, turns, and realities of Socceroo management

Michael Lynch: Expect the unexpected - the mantra of the football manager..

Back in post-war Britain, when it was still something resembling a world power, the then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was reputed to have delivered one of the most memorable of political quotes. Asked what were the greatest challenges a leader faced, he was said to have replied ''Events, dear boy, events'', in that clipped vocal register so characteristic of upper-class British politicians in that era.

Here in 2024, Tony Popovic doesn't harbour political ambitions (at least not publicly, anyway) and his usually measured, sometimes staccato but always rather deep tone would never be confused with the vocal inflexions of an upper-class toff. But he is a leader charged with carrying the burden of national expectation - even if it is in a very different sphere to the geopolitics Macmillan was engaged in during the 1950s and 1960s - so he would be all too aware of the meaning of the latter's message.

The truth of that old axiom has not taken long to cast a shadow of sorts over Popovic's honeymoon period with the national team with the news that Massimo Luongo and Connor Metcalfe, two of the most important players in his inaugural 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, have been ruled out of the upcoming games against China in Adelaide on Thursday and Japan in Saitama, Tokyo, days later.

It was ever thus, however, for Socceroos managers. All of his predecessors, in the days leading up to a crucial international fixture, have had to anxiously await scouting and injury reports from their overseas-based players.

Rarely does a fixture go by without one or more pulling out because of a knock or something worse sustained in the previous weekend's games, injuries which can only be exacerbated by the long-haul flight back to Australia. The tyranny of distance has long been a problem for the Socceroos and that is unlikely to change in the near future.

Popovic experienced it all as a player himself, so he can be expected to respond with a sense of resignation, notwithstanding his frustration at not being able to use Luongo, in particular, after the latter's return from international exile.

In truth, their absence should not be felt too much against a Chinese team who are bottom of the qualifying group and whose results so far suggest that their defence is porous and their attack of the powderpuff variety. But it is likely to be a different story against Japan, where Metcalfe's combative qualities in midfield and Luongo's experience and guile could have been critical as the Socceroos look to get their qualifying campaign back on track for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Popovic appears to have taken to the job like a duck to water, as might be expected of someone who spent a long time in the Socceroo spotlight as a player and most of the past 15 years as a head or assistant coach in league competitions.

Still, managing a national team is a job like no other, so having the right kind of phlegmatic temperament and the ability to shrug off external noises is a key part of the job description. As is coming to grips with a series of critical fixtures at short notice and acknowledging that the time for actual on-field coaching at the international level is minimal.

He displayed just that mix in his first stand-up in front of the Adelaide media as he fronted one of the rare Socceroos press conferences in the SA capital where he sought to strike the right balance between heightening expectation, emphasising the honour that comes with wearing the shirt but not understating the size of the task that faces his squad, particularly next week in Japan.

Popovic brindled at the suggestion that the now absent Luongo had to somehow be persuaded to return to the national team fold, declaring: “If we have to sell the Socceroos jersey, we have a problem''.

It was a diplomatic message to any of those young players on the fringes who are maybe flirting with declaring allegiance to another nation. Decoded, he might just as well have said "if you are not with us, you are against us, if you are not interested in us, we are not interested in you.''

It's a message that all successful Socceroos teams have taken to heart, including the ones that he was most closely associated with as part of the ''Golden Generation.'' Like many of his team-mates back then he could have opted to play for another country but didn't.

That will not be the extent of his preparatory message as he and his management team of Hayden Foxe and Paul Okon work overtime to come up with two very different sets of tactical approaches for these games, but it will underline the mood as Australia watches and waits to see if its new boss can get the team back into a winning groove.

Events, as ever, will determine how the early days of the Popovic period are judged, but for the time being the new boss does not need any unexpected diversions. Two losses in these matches could pretty much derail the campaign before it gets properly underway and would leave a pall of gloom hanging over the domestic game as a new A-League season gets underway.

Header Image: Football Australia