Add as preferred source on Google Former West Ham manager Graham Potter has defended himself in the wake of criticism following the confirmation of Sweden’s World Cup squad.
On Tuesday, Potter confirmed his 26-man squad for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next month.
The former West Ham manager left the likes of Roony Bardghji, Hugo Larsson and Williot Swedberg of Barcelona, Eintracht Frankfurt and Celta Vigo respectively out of his squad.
Wilson off the bench to score late again 🫡
Credit: GRV Media
That has sparked a lot of debate in Sweden, who only gained entry through the play-offs following a dreadful qualifying campaign.
Potter endured a miserable tenure as West Ham manager and has faced yet more criticism following the confirmation of Sweden’s squad.
Potter understands criticism after naming Sweden’s World Cup squad
Speaking in quotes sourced by Fotbollskanalen, Potter said: “When you select a World Cup squad, there are always different opinions.
“There are also always strong feelings and thoughts about the national team. I think it’s good to debate, be challenged and converse. It’s like I said yesterday [during the squad selection].
“I can’t sit here and say I have all the answers and know everything. We can’t see into the future, but my responsibility is to make decisions that I feel are right and then accept the noise afterwards.”
Between 1-10, how would you rate West Ham’s survival chances if they beat Newcastle? 😬
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Sweden will play Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in both Mexico and the United States in their first World Cup appearance since 2018.
Potter signed a long-term new contract with Sweden after steering them to the World Cup but his reign has not been a resounding success yet.
Clearly, beating Ukraine and Poland to reach the tournament was a feather in his cap but Potter did not win either of his two qualification games after taking the role back in October.
Photo by Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
The 50-year-old is not the only former West Ham manager at the tournament, of course.
Julen Lopetegui will lead Qatar into the tournament, having been denied the chance to do so with Spain back in 2018.
Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of the tournament in Russia after it emerged that he had agreed a deal to take over at Real Madrid after it was complete.
Both managers were widely criticised during their time here in east London and it will therefore be fascinating to see how they perform at the biggest World Cup in footballing history.
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