Potter's Zlatan texts, overcoming failure & finding joy in Sweden

Potter's Zlatan texts, overcoming failure & finding joy in SwedenImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Graham Potter was appointed Sweden head coach in October 2025ByNizaar KinsellaFootball reporter in LondonPublishedJust now"We are going to the World Cup, baby," manager Graham Potter told his Sweden players after a dramatic 88th-minute winner from Viktor Gyokeres against Poland booked his side's place in the finals.After the tension-filled 3-2 victory in the play-offs in front of 50,000 fans at Stockholm's Strawberry Arena in March, the 51-year-old revelled in what he described as "the best night of my career".It marked a moment of adulation following the disappointment of losing his job at Chelsea after just seven months, and then his role at West Ham after another difficult eight-month spell which ended last September."It hurt. They are painful experiences," admitted Potter."I have lived failure. I've had quite a bit of success too. That's what life is. You have to try to put things into perspective, take the feedback from the people who are important to you and relevant - those who can help you improve. "In the end you have to find some way of being grateful for it but, when you're going through it, it isn't easy. You have to deal with the failure, but you become a better person for it, that's for sure."On the flip side, I will never forget that night in Stockholm. It was the best night of my career. While there are dark moments that you have to experience, and they're not very nice, there are also moments you simply cannot describe."It was a special ending as Arsenal striker Gyokeres' dramatic late strike - following a hat-trick in the previous game against Ukraine - sent Sweden to their first World Cup since 2018. "Viktor scores and it's like an out of body experience, I can only describe it as that," added the Englishman. "All our sub...