The Tunisia manager is fighting for his job after his side were torn apart 5-1 by Sweden in their World Cup opener in Monterrey — a performance so emphatic that Graham Potter, once mistaken for Gareth Southgate by an ITV presenter, now looks a man reborn.
Potter cut a relaxed figure on the touchline as Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both opened their World Cup accounts, leading a Sweden line-up that also featured Premier League talents like Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall and Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga off the bench. It was a ruthless display against a Tunisia side who had not conceded a goal in qualifying, yet found themselves five goals down before the final whistle.
“Graham Potter's Sweden humiliated Tunisia 5-1 in World Cup opener, leaving Tunisia manager facing sack.”
The result, one of the outstanding performances of the tournament so far, was a world away from the turmoil Potter endured in his last two club jobs. Sacked after brief, ill-fated spells at Chelsea and West Ham — with compensation packages totalling £13m and £5m respectively — he had rebuilt his reputation in Swedish club football years earlier, spending seven and a half years at Östersund and taking them through the divisions.
When Southgate stepped down days after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, Potter was strongly fancied to succeed him, with support inside the Football Association. But the FA instead fell for the allure of a big-name foreign manager. Six months later, Potter was at West Ham, where things went even worse than at Chelsea.
Sweden turned to him last October, but he could not stop them finishing bottom of their qualifying group. They reached the play-off path via their Nations League ranking, then beat Ukraine and Poland to reach the finals — earning Potter a deal that runs until 2030. ‘I feel Swedish,’ he said ahead of the tournament.
Against Tunisia, that bond was visible in the aftermath of the win. But for the defeated side, the humiliation is likely to cost the manager his job. The Tunisian federation is now considering the sack after a five-goal thrashing that has left the Eagles of Carthage staring at an early exit.