The comparison of emotions being felt by two of Australia’s best modern football coaches cannot be understated right now.

Ange Postecoglou has been shown the door at Tottenham, just a fortnight after winning the club a trophy and Tony Popovic will not be able to wipe the smile off his face after comfortably advancing the Socceroos to the 2026 World Cup.

Hopefully a text or two will be sent across the globe in either direction, with both knowing just how fickle the business can be, how fleeting success sometimes is and how uncertain coaching positions can become when things start to turn bad.

For now, Popovic is in football heaven, with a eight-match unbeaten run as Socceroo coach and no need to prepare for the repechage-like fourth round of qualification. Postecoglou will be accepting calls from clubs at which he hopes to take over, but the most salient point right now is the talent and professionalism of the current group of Socceroos and how much they are capable of achieving.

Watching Connor Metcalfe, Patrick Yazbek and Lewis Miller start for the Australians this morning warmed the A-League cockles.

Seeing Marco Tilio, Ryan Teague and Mohamed Toure come off the pine did the same and the presence of Kasey Bos, Joe Gauci and Alessandro Circati in the squad adds weight to the view that this current crop of young Socceroos is the best we have ever seen in both talent and depth.

Nishan Velupillay celebrates a goal. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Considering the absences of Nishan Velupillay, Nestory Irankunda and Kusini Yengi, along with the eye on the near future represented by training camp members Max Balard and Paul Okon-Engstler, Popovic appears to have little stress in accessing the players he needs to build a squad capable of performing well in North America next year.

There are many others in the mix and under the superb and inspirational captaincy of goal-keeper Mathew Ryan and leaders Martin Boyle, Aziz Behich, Mitch Duke and Milos Degenek, the new generation is learning the right things.

Postecoglou and former Socceroo coach Graham Arnold worked hard on making sure Australian players knew precisely what the Socceroo shirt meant and should mean to them.

The spirit in the current squad is obvious and the evidence of a deep respect for the opportunity they have been given shows that Popovic has clearly continued that work successfully.

Most telling was the fact that Jackson Irvine, Craig Goodwin, Harry Souttar, Ajdin Hrustic, Awer Mabil and Jordan Bos were not members of the squads that took on Japan and Saudi Arabia.

With Nicholas Milanovic and Noah Botic waiting in the attacking wings and hoping to force Popovic’s hand in the near future, it is an embarrassment of riches for the coach.

Craig Goodwin is one of the experienced men due back in the Socceroo squad for the 2026 World Cup. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Of course, the Aussies will be long odds-on to win the World Cup and barely a serious Australian would even dare it possible, however, the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia should be well in the crosshairs of Popovic and his coaching group. The event is just 18 months away and begins in early January.

Not only will Popovic work tirelessly over the course of the next year to select and examine even more of the youth, honing the crafts of Daniel Arzani, Brandon Borrello, Riley McGree and Anthony Caceres will also be a priority.

In all of the copy written above, 31 current or soon to be Socceroos have been mentioned. The depth is unprecedented in Australian football.

Toss in squad members Kai Trewin, Cameron Burgess, Adam Taggart, Kye Rowles, Aiden O’Neill and a few others waiting in the wings like Hayden Matthews and Alex Grant, and the total number of players considered at the selection table by the Socceroo think tank is nearer to 50.

Heck, I haven’t even mentioned the goalkeepers.

Mat Ryan led Australia brilliantly in his 100th Socceroo appearance. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)

Having a vast number of players available does not automatically lead to success. What it does do is cover most contingencies, allow for some experimentation and encourage excellence, as the players push each other in the quest for selection.

The win against Japan broke a long drought and after a selection trip to a stifling Saudi Arabia to finish the job on Wednesday morning, the Socceroos have calmly advanced to the World Cup Finals for the sixth successive time.

Based on the talent being developed, they will play well there. The bigger prize could be the opportunity to beat those same countries again in the Asian Cup in January 2027. Doing so would confirm that the development that is taking place is clearly moving the Socceroos in the right direction.