Melbourne Victory star Daniel Arzani plays as if Tony Popovic is always watching.
And the Socceroos coach really was, sitting in the stands at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday as Arzani helped Victory seal an A-League Men finals berth with a 2-1 win over Macarthur FC.
Determined to become a mainstay in the Australian national team, Arzani admits he didn't know Popovic was in the crowd physically but he reckons his presence is always felt.
"Whether he's going to be here tonight or not, he's here in spirit," Arzani told AAP.
"I'm sure he'll be watching all the games anyway.
"For me, it doesn't change anything.
"I've got to do what I've got to do on the pitch and hopefully I can be in the mix for the next window."
The 26-year-old played a central role on Friday night, setting up Kasey Bos's 36th-minute goal with an incisive pass to open up Macarthur.
He almost had a goal of his own in the 50th minute but was denied by the post.
It comes after Arzani took a public spray from Popovic to heart.
"He needs to raise his level. We need goals, we need assists," Popovic said in January.
"Doing one good dribble, one good trick or setting up one goal should not be enough to play for the Socceroos."
Featuring for the Socceroos in their last World Cup qualifiers against China and Indonesia in March, Arzani hopes to once again line up as their direct qualification hopes go down to the wire.
Australia play Japan and Saudi Arabia in June.
"It's always an honour to play for your country, two very important games as well, and I'd love to be involved," Arzani said.
"The only way for me to do that is to keep performing on the pitch."
Victory, looking to secure a home final, return to AAMI Park to play Newcastle after ending Macarthur's post-season hopes.
