The Danish forward, who has shone in the recent past, has not been able to match the brilliant forwards of Djokkeres and Issac, and so far has not been able to become a great coach. After another national team fiasco, the Swedish Football Federation dismissed Tomasson. Two rounds before the end of the selection cycle, when it was already clear that the best that shines now in “blue and yellow” is the third place in the group.
Instead of the Dane Tomasson, the Swedish national team was led by the British Graham Potter. The same one who recently trusted “Chelsea”. Before the “aristocrats”, Potter headed “Brighton” for three years. Graham did a good job in that team. But he did not manage with “Chelsea”. The contract with Potter was signed for five years, but he worked in London for only six months.
For the next two years, Graham was on creative leave. In January of this year, he came out of “vacation” and headed the crisis-hit “West Ham”, signing a contract for two and a half years. But under his leadership, “hammer fighters” played only five matches. And resignation again. Now Potter “surfaced” in the Swedish national team.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Graham Potter Under his leadership, “Tre krunur” played two final matches of selection for the World Cup-2026 – against Switzerland and Slovenia. The first pancake for Potter turned out to be lousy: his team lost 1:4 to the leader of the quartet, the Swiss. In the last round, the Swedes drew with the Slovenians – 1:1, and finished in last place in the group, having only two points.
However, the last place in the group did not prevent the Swedish national team from staying in the game. Thomasson was right. And all because Sweden won the last draw of the League of Nations in its group.
In addition to Swedes, that group included Slovaks, Estonians and Azerbaijanis. Cool, of course, a prank, this League of Nations. Like a spare airfield. Only in this case, the sporting principle is completely absent, because it could hypothetically happen that the Kosovo team, which took the second place in the “Swedish” selection group, could hypothetically not qualify for the World Cup, and Sweden, which took the last place, could qualify.
“If we go to the World Cup after what happened in the selection, it will be undeserved,” – even the fans of the Swedish national team are indignant about this, calling for football justice. Although where is it now, this justice, including football?
But we return to the head coach of the Swedish national team. Both matches that the “blue and yellow” played under the leadership of Potter, and purely by the game, were lost. And not only to the Swiss, but also to the Slovenians. Why yes, damn it, if Sweden has a brilliant duet of forwards – Djokeres and Isak, the total value of which is about 200 million euros.
Well, you can answer this simple question simply: because both of these forwards were not in optimal form. They both made demarches to their former clubs in the summer transfer window. Viktor – “Sporting”, Alexander – “Newcastle”. So, the summer offseason for both turned out to be crumpled. Especially for Isaac. Both missed national team matches due to injuries.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Alexander Isak and Viktor Djokeresh In general, in the current selection, both Djokeres and Isak were a shadow of themselves in the national team. But this does not mean at all that in March next year they will be as hopeless. Rather, it is the other way around, because there is no need to doubt their high class. It’s just that now they are not in the best functional condition. They will get into a rhythm in their new clubs, and everything will fall into place.
Although the Swedish national team is not only Djokeres and Isak. There are many famous players. At least Victor Lindelof is the captain of the Swedish national team, who defended the colors of Man United for many years. He currently plays for Aston Villa.
We can also mention the creative midfielder Emil Forsberg, who scored for us at Euro-2020. He currently plays in the MLS, and before that he played for Leipzig.
And the Swedish national team also includes a representative of “Barcelona” – young Rooney Bardagji. Daniel Svensson defends the colors of Borussia Dortmund, Emil Kraft and Anthony Elanga – Newcastle, Isaac Guin – Atalanta, Lucas Bergvall – Tottenham.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine In a word, the backbone of the current Swedish national team plays in strong and well-known continental teams. As a rule, three or four football players, including two goalkeepers, are called up from the Swedish championship.
If the topic of the championship there came up, then this topic can be “tied” to Potter’s appointment. The fact is that at one time Graham Potter was the head of Östersund, with whom he played in the lower Swedish leagues. With this modest team, Potter won the Swedish Cup in 2017. In the same year, Potter was named the best football coach of the year in Sweden. And in the same year, in 2017, Potter’s “Ostersund” played against our “Zorya” in the Europa League. And won both matches with the same score of 2:0.
So it turns out, Potter is not a “left” character for Swedish football. He even has his own home there. He has authority there. And although Graham has lost his credibility in the Premier League, he is still a good choice for Sweden.
And the last hope for salvation, because it is not only a specific game cycle that needs to be saved, but also an unpleasant trend, because Sweden risks missing the third major tournament (the Swedes safely missed the World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024).
If we talk about the past successes of the national team of Sweden, then these successes are already in the distant past. The last such success was third place at the 1994 World Championship. And in the fifties, the Swedes were even vice-champions of the world (1958), and as far back as 1948 they won the Olympics.
With the national team of Ukraine, “tre-krunur” played not only in the memorable match of the 1/8 finals of Euro-2020, where our team won 2:1 (with the same goal by Dovbyk a few minutes before the end of regular time), but also at Euro-2012, where our team also won. And also – 2:1. The other four matches had friendly status.
Source: sport.ua