Few managers have experienced as many highs and lows in a season as Graham Potter has in the last. It began with his sacking by Premier League club West Ham United in September and will end with him leading Sweden to the World Cup, which begins on June 11.
The sacking after just one win in his first five Premier League games with West Ham was quickly followed by Potter's appointment as Sweden manager in October.
Any disappointment vanished in late March, when Viktor Gyokeres' goal secured Sweden a 3-2 victory over Poland in the play-off final.
"It's amazing. I'm so grateful. I'm very, very proud, very happy to be here. The game against Poland was the best experience I've ever had in football," Potter said in an interview with Reuters.
The 50-year-old Englishman looks relaxed and comfortable. But that wasn't the case when he was shown the door at West Ham.
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"I was obviously disappointed because I felt five games was not enough. But these things happen in football. It is what it is, we have to deal with it," Potter said.
Potter found the unexpected offer from Sweden very interesting.
Two weeks after Potter was sacked by West Ham, Sweden sacked their coach, Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson, after a disappointing run of results in World Cup qualifying. Sweden started with a 2-2 draw with Slovenia. They then lost to Kosovo in Pristina, Switzerland at home and Kosovo again in Gothenburg.
And Tomasson was sacked, while Potter led Sweden in their final two qualifying matches. The Swedes lost to Switzerland and drew with Slovenia.
But the Swedes had a chance through the Nations League to appear in the playoffs, although in the regular qualifiers they remained last with only two points.
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Potter had no international experience, but he got to work.
"You have to be very careful about how you use the time you have. In the national team you don't have the time you have at the club. It's about how you do the simple things to make it clear to the players," says Potter.
This approach paid off. Sweden beat Ukraine 3-1 in Valencia in the play-off semi-finals and then defeated Poland at home.
And it allowed Potter's tumultuous season and Sweden's disappointing qualifying campaign to end with an unexpected trip to the World Cup.
Potter had worked as a coach in Sweden at Ostersund, from 2011 to 2018. He then managed teams on the island such as Swansea City, Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham.
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He had knowledge of the people and the football culture in Sweden. But he laughs when asked if he thought of himself as the future coach of Sweden when he took over at Ostersund in 2011, when the team was only in the fourth division.
"I'm happy to be here and I'll try to do my best for Sweden," says the English coach.
