Graham Potter: Sweden’s Dutch Defeat Leaves Me Under Intense Pressure

Graham Potter under fire after Sweden’s humiliation

Sweden Coach Graham Potter faces pressure ahead of Japan decider after Dutch rout.

“Tactically we didn’t react” says Potter, he takes blame for Sweden’s 5-1 koss to Netherlands...

Graham Potter is facing a storm of criticism in Sweden after the national team’s 5-1 thrashing by the Netherlands. The coach admitted he was completely surprised by Ronald Koeman’s choice to start Brian Brobbey up front, and said he gets why the media are now calling him incompetent.

Speaking at a press conference, the English manager said he feels heavy pressure ahead of Sweden’s must-win final group game against Japan.

“Of course. It would be strange if I didn't. But do I take into account what you (the press, ed.) write? No. It's irrelevant. I don't listen to what you say. Then we can have a good conversation here, regardless of what you have written. That's the best way to do it.”

The former Chelsea boss says criticism doesn’t bother him. “I am a person who wants to do well and wants to win. You may think that I am incompetent, and in that case, I accept that.”

Potter also said he was totally unprepared for Dutch coach Ronald Koeman’s move to start Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey against Sweden - a decision that paid off with two goals from Brobbey.

“I did not see it coming,” said Potter. “Brobbey changed the dynamic of the Netherlands a lot. He made them go from being a good team to being a very, very good team. To come up against that class of opposition, with that width, that control and the 'nine' threat was a bit too much for us,” said Potter.

After the 2-2 draw with Japan drew heavy criticism, Koeman was under major pressure to find a striker who could lead the Dutch attack. His decision to pick Brobbey instead of regulars like Memphis Depay stunned both fans and analysts, since the 24-year-old had spent most of qualifying on the edges of the squad.

Graham Potter om den massiva kritiken mot EN spelare primärt efter matchen mot Nederländerna- Isak Hien. Det här är bannemej ledarskap ✨ pic.twitter.com/BQXtdmLkkC

— Hans Jönsson 🇺🇦🇸🇪 (@HansDiabethics) June 23, 2026

“He hadn’t played for the national team for a while. I thought they wouldn’t start him. But they did, and you never know until the team is released before kick-off. That’s why sometimes it’s an advantage to be able to keep the lineup a secret. Because then you can surprise the opponent. It’s not easy to achieve that. So congratulations to the Netherlands. Tactically, we did not react well enough to it,” Potter said.

Sweden sit on three points after beating Tunisia and now face Japan in their final group game on Friday morning at 01:00 CET.