​Graham Potter’s season began and ended with a 3-0 defeat, a symmetry that only goes so far, as the teams he faced in those two ends of the campaign—Sunderland in August and France in the World Cup—could not have been more different. Eliezer Mayenda, Daniel Ballard, and Wilson Isidor tormented him in August, a stark contrast to Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola, who crowned France’s World Cup run. From the Stadium of Light to the MetLife Stadium, Potter’s arc has included a sacking by West Ham and a sense of redemption for Sweden, a juxtaposition that has colored his trajectory. The overarching judgment is that he bears some responsibility for West Ham’s relegation, even though his own role diminished after a September dismissal. He logged five Premier League appearances for the Hammers and four World Cup matches for Sweden, finishing in a state of greater ease and steadiness than he showed at Chelsea and West Ham. Sweden’s World Cup campaign concluded with a complete capitulation to France, the eventual champions, a disappointment tempered only by the recognition that the loss came against the best.
“We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure it would have been enough, to be brutally honest,” Potter admitted. “I personally haven’t seen a better team.” Sweden’s predicament—more forgiving than the pressures of London, whether east or west—still spared him a brutal inquest, though the job of managing a European side homeward-bound remains perilous in an era where Steve Clarke and Ronald Koeman have fallen on their swords, and Julian Nagelsmann could face a similar fate. Potter’s Sweden were defensively porous in the United States, but he has nonetheless enhanced his reputation in recent months and appears to have earned the chance to continue.
Against France, realism prevailed: Sweden were underdogs, and Potter acknowledged the disparity when he compared the careers and CVs of the French squad to his own. Yet the brilliance of Michael Olise and Mbappe underscored that they would have overwhelmed many teams, and Potter’s broader achievement was to push Sweden further than many had believed possible—or perhaps fairly possible. Their qualification journey was unconventional: after a winless Nations League campaign left them anchored at the bottom of their group, Potter and Viktor Gyökeres seized a lifeline, with his hat-trick against Ukraine and an 88th-minute winner versus Poland securing a transatlantic trip. They started boldly, with a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia—their first World Cup scoreline above four since 1938—before a historic 5-1 loss to the Netherlands. A draw with Japan followed, and a third-place finish via the back door allowed them to meet France.
“I have no complaints about the players,” Potter said. “I told them after the game that there is no disgrace in losing to France. For us, this is a foundation to move forward. I am proud of them.”