Graham Potter's Swedish Nightmare: More Like a Horror Movie
Okay, so Graham Potter, the guy who used to manage Chelsea (and let's be real, didn't exactly set the world on fire there), is now coaching Sweden. And his first game? A 4-1 thrashing by Switzerland. Talk about a rough start. I mean, did he accidentally stumble into a remake of "Midsommar" or something?
The article says Sweden had a "weakened side." Right. Because that totally excuses getting hammered by a country that, according to the article, Sweden should at least be able to match. And Potter's quick to belt out the Swedish national anthem, according to the article? Give me a break. That's PR 101. Doesn't mean he's suddenly got a clue about turning this team around.
Cheese, Cookies, and Catastrophes
Then there's this whole other level of weirdness. Like, the AP is running a piece about the World Cheese Awards also happening in Switzerland. Five thousand cheeses, descriptions like "stinky socks" and "sick dog"... What is this, some bizarre sensory torture chamber masquerading as a culinary event? Is it me, or does it seem like Switzerland is just trying to distract us from something? Like, maybe they planned the Swedish beatdown to coincide with the cheese fest so nobody would notice how bad Sweden is actually playing? Or maybe they thought the Swiss fans could use the smell of 5,000 cheeses to mask the stench of defeat coming off the Swedish team? More than 5,200 cheeses compete at the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland
Speaking of distractions, there's also an article about NBCUniversal's cookie policy. Cookies? Really? While Potter's getting humiliated and cheese judges are sniffing feet-flavored Gruyere, we're supposed to care about cookies? I am, offcourse, talking about the ones on your computer.
Potter's Predicament: Can He Fix This Mess?
The sports article keeps talking about how Potter needs to instill "resilience" and "togetherness." Yeah, good luck with that, buddy. You can't just sprinkle some motivational fairy dust on a team that's clearly got deeper problems. They're missing key players, Isak's "rusty," and the defense is apparently made of Swiss cheese – pun absolutely intended.
And the penalty that Xhaka scored? "Seemed harsh," the article says. Seemed like another nail in Sweden's coffin, more like it. Johansson, the goalie, "could soon feel a little better" after denying Embolo one-on-one? I doubt it. He just watched his team get demolished. A single save ain't gonna erase that kind of trauma. Sweden into playoff after losing Graham Potter’s first game in Switzerland
I mean, let's be real, Potter's got his work cut out for him. Can he actually turn this team around and get them to the World Cup? I don't know, man. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but it seems like he's got a mountain to climb, and that mountain is covered in stinky cheese.
