In their first camp since qualifying for the World Cup, Popovic laid down a marker to a youthful Socceroos squad in a team meeting in Canberra in the lead-up to Friday's 1-0 win over New Zealand at GIO Stadium.
Popovic has a reputation for his attention to detail and stressed the need for players to be living by his "elite" standards at club level and when they link up with the national team.
He told players that their past achievements would carry little weight as the former Melbourne Victory boss casts a wider selection net in a bid to pick a World Cup squad capable of going on a deep run.
"He mentioned it was a clean slate," midfielder Max Balard told reporters in Canberra on Saturday.
"It (qualifying) was a massive achievement for football in Australia and to be honest, to achieve automatic qualification to the World Cup is no easy feat.
"We all know that there is still a big journey to go and we need to keep striving for excellence and not to be complacent.
"We're not there to participate at the World Cup. We're there to exceed expectations and go all the way. I think that's the most important message.
"In order to do that, we have to make sure that we're doing everything we can at our clubs and putting our best foot forward."
NAC Breda midfielder Balard added: "I think if you're consistently looking to strive for excellence, hopefully one day you'll attain it - that's my goal."
Popovic's thirst to push the Socceroos to new heights and leave behind players who can't deliver what he needs is no empty threat.
A bright new generation of teens and young 20-somethings headlined by Watford winger Nestory Irankunda and Feyenoord fullback Jordan Bos are giving the Socceroos coach a greater luxury of talented options unafraid of failure.
Left wingback Bos was the standout performer in Canberra and with a good run in the Dutch top flight he will hope to mount a challenge for Aziz Behich's starting spot.
"He (Popovic) makes it pretty clear at the start of each camp what he expects, it's crystal clear for all of the boys," Bos said.
"It's about being at an 'elite level' - that's something he says a lot. On and off the pitch, how you eat and how you recover.
"(His) passion and his vibe, everyone wants to work for their spot, and prove themselves.
"(As a team) we keep going until the end and fortunately (under Popovic) we've had a couple of late winners."
Australia travelled to Auckland on Saturday ahead of Tuesday's second friendly against the All Whites as they look to extend Popovic's unbeaten nine-game start to life as Socceroos boss.
