Graham Potter: Zlatan's texts, England's failures and the joy of taking Sweden to the World Cup
By OnzeActu · · 4 min read
Appointed Sweden coach in October 2025, Graham Potter experienced “the best night” of his career after qualifying for the play-off thanks to Viktor Gyökeres’ goal against Poland. The coach looks back on his failures at Chelsea and West Ham, his attachment to Sweden and the challenges to come with Isak and Gyökeres in view of the World Cup.
Graham Potter, appointed Sweden coach in October 2025, is enjoying it. After Viktor Gyökeres' victorious goal in the 88th minute against Poland in the play-off (3-2), which offered Sweden a place in the next World Cup, the English coach did not hide his emotion. “We are going to the World Cup, baby,” he told his players on the pitch at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, in front of 50,000 spectators. For Potter, this March evening will remain “the best of [his] career”.
This success comes after difficult months in England. Potter admitted his ousters from Chelsea, after just seven months, and then West Ham, eight months later in September, had been painful. “It hurts. These are painful experiences,” he confides, while emphasizing that he has “experienced failure” but also “a certain success”. According to him, you have to put things into perspective, listen to relevant feedback and use these challenges to progress: “You become a better person for that. »
Qualifying in Stockholm provided Potter with a welcome contrast. He describes Gyökeres’ goal as an almost out-of-body experience: “Viktor scores and it’s like an out-of-body experience. Our substitutes find themselves on the pitch, I said to myself ‘it’s yellow cards, problems’, but it’s the World Cup, all the rules seem to be out there. The technician paid tribute to the stadium's fervor and admitted to indulging in a few drinks to celebrate the night.
Potter, whose career began in Sweden at Östersunds FK, recalled his attachment to the country. It was there that he learned the trade, took the club from the fourth division to the elite, won the national cup and led the team into European competitions. “I spent seven unforgettable years in Östersund,” he explains. He says he is “very Swedish” in the way he works: he learns the language, sings the national anthem before matches, shares photos of Swedish nature on his Instagram account and even has two children born in Sweden.
Before the victory against Poland, Potter had extended his contract until 2030, ensuring he would be in post for the World Cup, Euro 2028 and potentially the 2030 World Cup. He received, after qualifying, a congratulatory message from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whom he describes as "one of the kings of Sweden".
On a sporting level, Potter will be able to count on two reinforcements from the Premier League: Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres, scorer of the decisive goal and already scorer of a hat-trick in the previous match against Ukraine, and Alexander Isak, transferred last summer from Newcastle to Liverpool for a record fee of 125 million pounds. Potter emphasizes that the two players have different and potentially complementary profiles: “If we can make them happy again and they are in good shape, they are very high level players. »
Isak, who is yet to start under Potter due to an injury-plagued season, remains a major option despite the expectations and pressure surrounding his move. Gyökeres scored 21 goals in his first season at Arsenal and was instrumental for Sweden in qualifying.
Potter also spoke of personal memories, such as Isak scoring him on his professional debut, aged 16, against Östersund while playing for AIK. In preparation for the World Cup, Sweden will face Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in the group stage (group F). Unlike England which will settle in Miami, the Swedish selection will remain based in Sweden to allow the players to rest with their loved ones after the long season.
After friendlies against Norway and Greece, Sweden will begin their world campaign against Tunisia on June 15. Potter, who has fond memories of football (his first great memory dates back to 1986 and Diego Maradona), now approaches the World Cup with enthusiasm and the desire to take advantage of the newfound positivity: “Recently, I hadn't had much positive in football, so it's pleasant, on a human level. »