By Conor Hogan
Former West Ham boss Graham Potter has lost his first game as Sweden manager.
Potter’s side were thumped 4–1 by Switzerland in World Cup qualifying action on Saturday, leaving the Scandinavian team bottom of Group B with just one game to go.
Sweden fell behind after twelve minutes when Breel Embolo opened the scoring by getting on the end of Dan Ndoye’s cross. However, Potter’s team equalised before half-time — Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren struck to ensure the sides went in level at the interval.
A disastrous final half-hour proved to be Sweden’s undoing. After Gabriel Gudmundsson’s dreadful back-pass to goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, Embolo intercepted before winning a penalty, following a foul from the Swedish keeper. Granit Xhaka dispatched the spot-kick with ease to restore Switzerland’s lead.
Things went from bad to worse for Sweden, as Dan Ndoye’s goal on 75 minutes all but sealed the three points for the hosts, before Johan Manzambi’s stoppage-time strike rounded off a truly dismal start to Potter’s international managerial career.
Potter started the game with a 4-4-2 setup, rather than his preferred 3-5-2 formation that he often used at West Ham. Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga began on the left, with Brighton’s Yasin Ayari operating in central midfield.
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak came on as a substitute on 62 minutes but made little impact — he failed to register a shot and managed only one touch in the opposition penalty area.
Following this result, and Kosovo’s win over Slovenia, Sweden can no longer qualify for next summer’s World Cup. Potter’s side face Slovenia at home on Tuesday in their final qualifier of the campaign. A win would at least ensure they avoid finishing bottom of the group.
The Swedish national team is in deep trouble at the moment — and given his recent spells at Chelsea and West Ham, Graham Potter may not be the ideal manager to inspire a change in fortunes for any team.