“March is always the tricky window for us because you don't see the players from November to March,” says Popovic, who was appointed head coach in September 2024.

“It's always a delicate topic with staff, like how much interaction do we have with the players?

“We know they're so busy over December, January in Europe. Do you leave them alone? Do you actually make contact? So it's something that we're really trying to manage well and we've not seen them for such a long time."

“This camp is really just reinforcing the foundations of what we're trying to build, getting the players being together in camp and the camaraderie that that brings around the meal times and when they're together in the gym sessions, when they're in their social room together, that's where the players really can bond.

“Also for our staff to be together. We've got a large staff that do a lot of work offline in these periods, but just to have everyone together.

“So this window is really an important one to bring everyone back in, just to remind everyone of what we're doing and why we're doing it and what we're gearing up for and what we're preparing for.

“It's the last opportunity for us before we get together (for a post-season training camp) in May, and obviously in June, when the squad is announced to build on those foundations that we've built along the way.”

Establishing and maintaining a positive atmosphere within the squad has been of significant importance since Popovic replaced Graham Arnold at the helm two matches into the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26.

The Australians were unbeaten in eight matches under Popovic to qualify in second place in Group C behind Japan as the country secured a sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance and seventh in total.

Since Australia’s place at the FIFA World Cup was confirmed, the Socceroos have gone on to secure back-to-back wins over New Zealand, defeat Canada and then lose to the United States, Venezuela and Colombia.

While Popovic will be aiming to put his team back on a winning track during the FIFA Series, the former Western Sydney Wanderers coach is keen to ensure he taps into the expertise of other coaches - both inside and outside football - in an effort to improve his team.

“I think in football we are all a little bit protective of what we are doing, especially when you're up against each other,” says Popovic, who has spent time observing the work done at club sides in Europe since Australia’s last get-together.

“I think what I've learned in this role is that when you go to club sides, they're a lot more open with you about what they do because they don't see you as direct competition.

“So when you’re at the World Cup draw, when I was speaking to the other coaches, they aren’t giving me much, I'm not giving them much.

“But I have found going around the clubs sides…they're very open to share with you what they're doing and also why they're doing it and how they're training, how they prepare, what their periodisation is, and the challenges they have.

“So there's a bit of insight and I'll probably say I'm looking more outside of that and trying to get some insight from people that have experienced five or six weeks away with a group, which I haven't done before in terms of this level.”

The Australia job is Popovic’s first on the international scene after 12 years at club level, having led Wanderers to the AFC Champions League™ title in 2014 before working with Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory as well as spending short spells in Turkey and Greece.

By his own admission, Popovic is still learning how to handle the challenges of working with a national team and, in a bid to enhance his knowledge base, has looked beyond football for advice.

Among those who he has turned to is renowned former Australia and England rugby union coach Eddie Jones as he tries to ensure the Socceroos peak at the right time during the FIFA World Cup.

“I've done the camps now,” he says of the work done during FIFA windows. “I understand where everyone is at day eight, nine, 10, where you're almost settling into that period that you think, okay, well, everyone almost just about looks like they need a break from me, maybe, or from the environment, but how do you manage five or six weeks?

“I'm speaking to people from different codes. I actually had breakfast with Eddie Jones in Tokyo, which was interesting. He's had a very successful career. When you've coached at least four different nations, you've won a (Rugby) World Cup, you've done many five, six weeks preparation.

“He was very open and showed me a lot of information, and also how he learned from things that they did wrong in terms of whether it's family and friends, or whether it's not giving enough days off to the staff or the players and how do you manage that for five, six weeks?

“Because we want to hit the first game (at the FIFA World Cup) at the highest level and hit the ground running, but we also don't want to fall off a cliff straight after the first game. So how do you keep going that way? So I'm trying to learn as much as I can.

“Obviously, we have our ideas and we have our own expert coaches and people here that are advising us and supporting us, but I plan to visit a few more people from different sports that have experienced that before, and see how we can manage that five, six weeks, the best we can, that we can keep improving and getting better and better as the games go on.”