Graham Potter ended his season with a 3-0 loss to France at the World Cup. Same scoreline as his first game back in August. That’s about where the similarities end, because Sunderland is not France and Eliezer Mayenda is not Kylian Mbappe.
Potter went from getting sacked by West Ham in September to leading Sweden into the knockout rounds of a World Cup. That’s a hell of a rebound in less than a year. But France reminded everyone what the top of the food chain looks like. Mbappe and Bradley Barcola ran through Sweden like they weren’t even there.
“We had to be perfect and even if we were I am not sure if that would have been enough, if I am brutally honest,” Potter said. “I personally haven’t seen a better team.”
He’s probably right. France looked terrifying. Michael Olise pulling strings, Mbappe doing Mbappe things. Sweden had no answer. They gave up 10 goals in four games this tournament, which is a lot for a team that’s supposed to be built on defensive structure. But the balance of talent on this Sweden squad is weird. Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, Anthony Elanga — all forwards. The back line is thin. Victor Lindelof is still holding it together but he’s not getting any younger.
Potter took a weird path to this moment
Sweden finished dead last in their qualifying group. Zero wins. Two points. They only got into the tournament because of the convoluted Nations League rules that nobody fully understands. Then Potter and Gyokeres made it count. Gyokeres had a hat trick against Ukraine, then banged in an 88th-minute winner against Poland to punch the ticket.
Once they got to the World Cup, Sweden started with a 5-1 win over Tunisia. That was the first time they’d scored more than four in a World Cup game since 1938. Then they lost 5-1 to the Netherlands, becoming the first team ever to win and lose by 5-1 in consecutive World Cup matches. Which is a weird stat but it’s theirs. A draw with Japan got them through as a third-place team. Then they ran into France.
Potter’s gamble didn’t pay off but nobody expected it to
He went with a 4-4-2 against France. Bold call. Isak and Gyokeres both started, Elanga out wide. Dejan Kulusevski was hurt and that probably would have changed things. Potter said the formation didn’t matter much against that level of opponent.
“You can play four or three or five [in midfield] but the quality of the opponent is the quality of the opponent,” he said.
It’s hard to argue. France is deeper, faster, and more experienced at every position. Sweden just doesn’t have that kind of depth yet. Potter pointed out that guys like Yasin Ayari and Lucas Bergvall are still developing. The whole squad is young.
“We are a young, developing team,” he said. “We have had a great tournament to grow and learn. To recover after the Netherlands and get a point against Japan was fantastic and we have to learn from that.”
Lindelof said after the game he wants to keep playing for Sweden. That’s good news for Potter because he needs veteran presence back there. But Sweden has to figure out how to keep clean sheets if they want to take the next step.
Potter looked more relaxed coaching this team than he ever did at Chelsea or West Ham. Maybe that’s because the expectations are lower. Maybe it’s because the Swedish federation doesn’t have the same chaos as a Premier League boardroom. Either way, he’s probably not going anywhere. Steve Clarke and Ronald Koeman are already out after their World Cup exits. Nagelsmann might be next. But Potter should survive this. He took Sweden further than anyone expected. That counts for something.
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