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STOCKHOLM :New Sweden coach Graham Potter gave fans a welcome surprise on Wednesday, presenting his first squad in their native tongue as he prepares to get their shattered World Cup ambitions back on track. Potter was appointed to replace Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson, who was ousted following a run of poor performances that has left them bottom of Group B of the 2026 qualifiers, and he acquitted himself well as he revealed his selections in Swedish. "I wouldn't say I'm up to speed with the language, to be honest - obviously it's been a long time since I spoke it, and I wasn't particularly fluent when I left," Potter told Reuters before revealing that he'd spent plenty of time practicing since getting the job. "It's been a bit of a mix of upskilling myself, and then at the same time watching games and watching players, and making sure that we get a team and a group now that we can go forward with, and I'm really looking forward to meeting them," he said. Appointed last month, the 50-year-old wasn't completely starting from scratch with the language; he made his name as a coach with Ostersund in Sweden before going on to manage the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and West Ham United in the Premier League. For him, speaking Swedish is a sign of respect for the football culture that was a key part of his development in the game. "It's a big honour for me to be here. I'm very proud," he explained. "I understand Swedish football well, and I just think, as the national team head coach, it's important to at least try." MARKED CHANGE That attitude is a marked change from Tomasson's time in charge. Many Swedish supporters were none too happy about having a coach from Denmark, especially as he chose to communicate in English. However, his verbal preferences paled into insignificance when compared to his World Cup qualifying results, which yielded a solitary point in their opening Group B game against Slovenia before going downhill. Since then, they have been beaten by Switzerland, who top the group on 10 points, and twice by Kosovo, who are second on seven points, with the Slovenians third with three points. Those results led to Tomasson's sacking in late October and the swift hiring of Potter. "Obviously, results haven't been exactly what we wanted, so we're in a situation where we need to try to make things as clear and as simple as we can for the players ... less is more, I think, in terms of that," Potter said. The Swedes do have a possible World Cup playoff spot following a successful Nations League Group C campaign. However, Potter was not looking beyond the next game. "It's always important to try to win the games, for sure. Our focus is on Switzerland, to try and prepare the team and create the conditions and give the players the chance to show themselves in their best way, and the best way to do that is to try to win the next match," he said. The Swedes take on Switzerland in Geneva on November 15 before hosting Slovenia in their final qualifier in Stockholm three days later.
