Graham Potter takes a swipe at Manchester City!

With Sweden depleted ahead of their next match, Graham Potter delivered a sharp remark and directly poked fun at Manchester City.

Graham Potter used his press conference ahead of Sweden’s trip to Bosnia to take a small swipe at Manchester City. Faced with numerous absences due to injuries and illness, the Sweden manager referred to the financial case currently shaking the Sky Blues.

“We have as many absentees as Manchester City have charges against them,” Potter told reporters, prompting several smiles in the room. It was a direct reference to the 114 breaches for which the English club was recently found guilty by an independent commission. Manchester City has since challenged the decision and launched an appeal.

Potter explains Sweden’s injury crisis

The English coach then adopted a more serious tone to explain the situation within his squad. “We’ve been hit by an infection or a virus. It’s not ideal. It’s a sad situation; it’s not good for football or for the league. But we have to work with the players we have and not think about an ideal world where everyone would be available,” he continued.

Sweden will therefore have to cope with a heavily depleted squad ahead of their next Nations League meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina. For Potter, the objective nevertheless remains to put the absences out of mind and preserve his team’s competitiveness.

Manchester City, a very bad memory for Potter

The swipe is all the more amusing given Graham Potter’s particularly difficult record against Manchester City. According to Transfermarkt statistics, the English manager has faced the Citizens 10 times during his spells in charge of Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea.

His record is clear-cut: 1 win, no draws and 9 defeats. His only victory came on 18 May 2021, when Brighton came from 2-0 down to beat Manchester City 3-2 at the Amex Stadium. The Seagulls took advantage of João Cancelo’s early dismissal to fight back through Leandro Trossard, Adam Webster and Dan Burn.

Potter had also suffered a spectacular 3-2 defeat with Swansea in the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2019, before losing all three of his meetings with City while in charge of Chelsea. Now Sweden manager, the Englishman has therefore not forgotten an opponent that caused him huge problems for a long time in the Premier League.

Read also: Portugal: the incredible Cristiano Ronaldo effect after his departure

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

Sweden

Manchester City