Potter's stormy season set to end on World Cup high with Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 14 : Few coaches have experienced the highs and lows that Graham Potter has this season, which started with his sacking by Premier League club West Ham United in September and will end with him leading Sweden at the World Cup in June. 

The Englishman's dismissal after one win in five Premier League games at West Ham was quickly followed by his appointment as Sweden coach in October. Any residual disappointment was blown away at the end of March when a late Viktor Gyokeres goal secured a thrilling 3-2 playoff triumph over Poland, booking Sweden's ticket to the World Cup.

"It's amazing. I'm so grateful. I'm so, so proud, so happy to be here. The game against Poland was just the best experience I've ever had in football," Potter told Reuters in an interview at the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) offices, a day after revealing his World Cup squad.

The affable 50-year-old appears relaxed and comfortable, a far cry from when he was suddenly shown the door at West Ham.

"I was obviously disappointed, because I felt like five games was quite a short time, but these things happen in football. It is what it is, you have to deal with it," Potter said.

"You just try to take stock of what the next thing is, and what you want to do. And then, as often happens in life, opportunities come up. Because of my relationship with Sweden, with the country, this opportunity felt like something really, really interesting."

Just over two weeks after his dismissal, Sweden sacked Danish coach Jon Dahl Tomasson after a woeful World Cup qualifying run that saw them collect one point from four games, ultimately finishing bottom of the group. 

PLAYOFF OPPORTUNITY

Potter came in to steer the team through the last two games, a defeat