Melbourne Victory interim head coach Arthur Diles insisted “the sky is the limit” for Daniel Arzani if he makes the most of his ability following an honest critique from Subway Socceroos boss Tony Popovic.
Popovic threw the gauntlet down to Victory star Arzani prior to Friday night’s 2-0 Isuzu UTE A-League win over rivals Sydney FC as he challenged the fringe Socceroos to “raise his level” to earn a spot in the Australia squad.
The 26-year-old was called up for October’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan but the seven-time international did not feature for the Socceroos as ex-Victory boss Popovic provided a forthright assessment of the former prodigy.
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“I had him (Arzani) in camp in October, he knows what I think of him. It wasn’t good enough. His level was really poor in training. Maybe for him it’s OK but it’s not enough,” said Popovic, who worked with Arzani at Victory, as he gears up for March’s qualifiers.
“I know Daniel well, he’s got potential. We’ve been talking about that since he was 18. He’s now 26. When he doesn’t play everyone questions why, but he needs to raise his level.
“We need goals, we need assists. Doing one good dribble or trick or setting up one goal shouldn’t be enough to play for the Socceroos, it needs to be more.”
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Arzani came off the bench in the Big Blue clash at AAMI Park, where Victory snapped a six-game winless streak at the expense of Sydney FC on Friday night.
He has scored one goal in 13 A-Leagues appearances this season, with his sole goal coming against Macarthur Bulls in November.
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Diles was asked about Popovic’s comments and he told reporters: “Daniel’s a talented footballer with a high ceiling. The challenge for Daniel is to reach that ceiling.
“He has to keep working hard every day and make the most of his ability. I don’t like to use the word potential because he’s not a kid anymore. He has ability and he has to use that to reach his ceiling.
“If he does that, the sky is the limit for Daniel.”
Diles – Popovic’s former assistant – added: “Tony knows what he’s doing and in the end, he is leading the Socceroos. His focus is on every individual player to make sure he gets the best out of them.
“At the end of the day for us, it’s providing that platform for the players to perform each week to try to get into the Socceroos.”
