Graham Potter says Sweden are “not the finished article” after their 5-1 win over Tunisia set up a key Netherlands test.
Graham Potter made no attempt to claim Sweden’s World Cup opener was flawless.
A 5-1 win over Tunisia was enough to lift the mood around Sweden, especially with the Netherlands dropping points in a 2-2 draw against Japan to open Group F. With three points and a healthy goal difference, Sweden have given themselves a strong platform ahead of their meeting with the Dutch.
Potter was satisfied with the result, but his words afterwards told their own story. Sweden scored five, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both impressed, and the substitutes offered further proof of the squad’s depth.
Even so, Potter was keen to keep the performance in perspective.
“I’m really pleased for the players because they put a lot into our work over the last two and a half, nearly three weeks together,” Potter said.
“I think they’ve taken steps and steps and steps. As a coach, sometimes you feel that the team is making progress, but in the end you need to win as well to convince and to give that confidence and belief to the players.
“Hopefully we’ve made a step there. We weren’t perfect, but we knew we wouldn’t be.”
That was the main takeaway from the night. Sweden are heading in the right direction, but Potter still sees them as a work in progress rather than a finished product.
He later put it even more directly.
“We know we’re not the finished article, but that’s also exciting as well,” he said.
Naturally, the front two will draw most of the attention. Isak and Gyokeres offer Sweden an attacking threat that can trouble most teams in the tournament, and Tunisia struggled to cope once the game opened up.
But Potter’s point was clear: the forwards were able to shine because the rest of the team gave them the platform to do so.
“I thought it was a solid team performance that then allowed Alex and Victor to show their quality,” Potter said.
That balance will be crucial again. Isak and Gyokeres are still a relatively new partnership for Sweden, and Potter admitted after the match that it is a work in progress. The early signs were promising, but tougher tests will reveal whether Sweden can keep providing the right conditions for their strikers.
There was more for Potter to take from the wider performance. Sweden controlled long spells, responded well after conceding, and pulled away in the second half. The goals came from different areas, and the bench played its part in putting the game beyond Tunisia.
That could prove important in a tournament where momentum can shift quickly. With Group F already wide open after the Netherlands’ draw with Japan, Sweden’s next game now takes on even greater significance.
Potter was already looking towards it after the win.
“It’s only one game,” he said. “We know we’ve got to go again and Saturday’s a massive game for us.”
Sweden have made a strong start, and Potter is well aware of it. He also knows the next game will pose a different challenge.
The win over Tunisia has given Sweden momentum. The meeting with the Netherlands will show just how much of it they can carry forward.
