A snapshot from a training session at the Swedish European Championship base in Cham:
Some of the Swedish players are kicking the ball between each other, they are playing "gris". Out of nowhere, a man with his cap pulled down hard over his forehead appears. Peter Gerhardsson has a sly grin on his face when he throws himself into the circle, heads the ball away and stretches his arms to the sky in a victory gesture.
Haha, it says a lot about what kind of person he is, that he jokes around and always has a laugh nearby. It's something you appreciate a lot, being able to have that kind of relationship with your coach, says Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, one of the "victims" of the national team captain's prank.
Emotions will have to wait
The ability to mix seriousness with nonsense is, according to the players, one of the explanations for Sweden's successful period under Peter Gerhardsson. But after eight years in the position, it's soon over.
The quarterfinal against England on Thursday may be his last match as national team captain. After the European Championship, he will be replaced by Tony Gustavsson.
So much melancholy does the 65-year-old from Uppsala not feel anyway. He doesn't work that way.
It will probably be emotional in the fall, when Sweden plays the semifinal against Spain in the Nations League. Then I will wonder where the hell I am, that I'm not there. But right now, I'm not thinking about it, says Peter Gerhardsson.
Regardless of how it goes in the quarterfinal, his time as national team captain cannot be described as anything other than a success. Sure, it may not have been gold – the Olympic final loss after penalties in 2021 was frustratingly close – but still Olympic silver, double World Championship bronze, and a European Championship semifinal. No other national team has competed for championship medals as often in recent years.
The feeling: "Finally!"
Kosovare Asllani has played under three national team captains – also Thomas Dennerby and Pia Sundhage – and does not hesitate when asked about what impression Peter Gerhardsson has made on the national team.
The biggest, says the 35-year-old midfield veteran.
She still remembers the feeling at the first training session – hardly any of the players knew Gerhardsson – before a World Championship qualifying match against Croatia in the fall of 2017:
"Finally!", I felt.
I remember how Peter immediately came in and when the defense had the ball said "you don't just have to kick it away!". Just the trust that despite being a physically strong team and liking to run a lot, we are also good technically and dare to play that way. He has gotten Sweden to play a technical football that is incredibly different from what we had before.
Peter Gerhardsson has always been inspired by the Dutch "total football". The philosophy, combined with aggressive pressing and effective transitions, was a hit.
And seasoned with empathetic leadership. That he "sees" everyone is something the Swedish players keep coming back to.
Center back Magdalena Eriksson has grown into a world-class defender during Gerhardsson's time, and says:
The national team has been such a safe point for all of us during the eight years. We know that it's a good person in charge and he wants us all well. I think it has been a major reason for our success in recent years, says Eriksson.
