Pelatih tim nasional Swedia Graham Potter menyatakan keterkejutannya atas berbagai kritik yang diarahkan kepada penyerang Arsenal Viktor Gyokeres menjelang persiapan skuadnya menghadapi kompetisi Piala Dunia di Amerika Utara.
Dilansir dari beinsports.com, mirror.co.uk, dan goal.com pada Jumat, 5 Juni 2026, Gyokeres tetap dikritik meski sukses membawa Arsenal menjuarai Liga Premir, menembus final Liga Champions, serta mencetak gol kemenangan Swedia atas Polandia pada laga kualifikasi bulan Maret.
Potter menegaskan peran krusial sang penyerang yang telah mengemas 20 gol untuk Swedia, termasuk satu gol tendangan bebas saat bermain imbang 2-2 melawan Yunani dalam laga persahabatan hari Kamis.
"I think they’re different in their styles, which I think is good for us because then you can hopefully use them in a good way," kata Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Mantan pelatih Brighton tersebut berencana menyatukan Gyokeres dengan penyerang Liverpool Alexander Isak di lini depan tim nasional demi mendongkrak performa tim secara keseluruhan.
"The honest truth is that we haven’t played with them together yet in my time so that’s going to be exciting, to be able to develop that," kata Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Potter menyadari bahwa menyatukan dua penyerang bintang membutuhkan taktik yang tepat agar seluruh kelebihan individu mereka dapat menopang kebutuhan strategi kolektif Swedia.
"Clearly, they are top players and top lads who are desperate to do well for the national team. The job is how we can use their attributes and qualities in the best way for us. Because if we can get them enjoying their football and if we can get them firing, they are top players," ujar Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Pemanggilan Gyokeres didasarkan pada performa impresifnya sejak membela Sporting CP dengan catatan 97 gol dari 102 laga, sebelum akhirnya mencetak 21 gol pada musim perdana di Arsenal.
"With Viktor, it’s a great example of the modern world and modern football. From our perspective, he’s scored four goals in two games and got us to the World Cup, so his impact has been incredible," tutur Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Proses transisi sang pemain dari kompetisi Portugal menuju intensitas kompetisi sepak bola Inggris dinilai membutuhkan waktu adaptasi yang tidak mudah oleh sang pelatih.
"He was a young player in the academy at Brighton. Obviously he ended up in Portugal [with Sporting]. And that's another thing people don't understand, you go from Portugal and then you come to the Premier League and there's an adaptation that you have to have," sebut Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Potter mengapresiasi kontribusi besar Gyokeres dalam membawa klubnya bersaing di level tertinggi sepak bola Eropa sepanjang musim ini.
"The fact that he has done that, and he's contributed to the team, and the team is in this place, I think he’s had a brilliant season," ucap Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Selain Gyokeres, Potter juga menyoroti situasi Alexander Isak yang mengalami musim sulit di Liverpool setelah memecahkan rekor transfer Inggris senilai 125 juta poundsterling dari Newcastle United akibat cedera patah kaki.
"He scored four goals in two games, got us to the World Cup, so his impact is incredible," jelas Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Meskipun Isak mengakhiri kompetisi domestik dengan catatan empat gol saja, kualitas sang pemain dianggap tidak mengalami penurunan.
"From Arsenal’s perspective, he’s played his role, scored his goals, and the team have won the Premier League and got to the Champions League final," ungkap Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Kritik dari media dan publik dinilai Potter sebagai konsekuensi logis dari tingginya dinamika industri sepak bola modern saat ini.
"He has played most of the games, but he still gets criticism. That’s just the world we’re in, but then you look at him, how much work he does, how he goes about his business, and he’s an incredible character," tambah Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Isak diproyeksikan akan segera bangkit bersama Liverpool mengingat potensinya yang sudah terbukti di kompetisi domestik sebelumnya.
"I think it’s fair to say it probably hasn’t gone as well as he would have liked - and anybody would have liked - but sometimes these things happen," papar Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Ekspektasi tinggi dari publik sering kali tidak berbanding lurus dengan proses adaptasi taktik baru yang diinstruksikan oleh jajaran tim pelatih di klub baru.
"We sometimes assume that when you sign a player, it’s automatically going to improve everything. We know what Alex did for Newcastle, but how does he adapt to what Liverpool want him to do? The player doesn’t change. His quality doesn’t change. It’s just how they interact as a team," ulas Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Perubahan besar di klub raksasa sering kali melahirkan tekanan besar yang memicu permasalahan psikologis jika tidak dikelola dengan baik.
"Unfortunately, sometimes, at the big clubs, the big change means big pressure and expectation; and then expectation versus reality, and as soon as that gap starts to become too big, you can have problems," tegas Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Potter menjamin komitmen penuh Isak untuk segera pulih dari cedera demi membantu performa lini depan tim nasional.
"The injuries have been disappointing for him, but he’s a great, great lad, he wants to play and wants to help his team," urai Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Fluktuasi performa dinilai sebagai hal yang lumrah dalam karier seorang pesepak bola profesional di level tertinggi.
"Your career can go up and down, but the quality of the person and the quality of the player is undeniable from our perspective," pungkas Graham Potter, Pelatih Timnas Swedia.
Timnas Swedia kini tergabung dalam Grup F Piala Dunia bersama Belanda, Jepang, dan Tunisia.
