Could Sweden be the dark horses no one's been talking about?

32 years ago, the USA hosted a World Cup where one of the surprise packages was Sweden. 

A generational team featuring the likes of Thomas Brolin, Stefan Schwarz and Martin Dahlin finished third at the tournament and was seen as one of the nation's greatest-ever sides. 

Three decades on, the Swedes are back in the USA, having snuck in through the backdoor to reach the finals; could they exceed expectations once again and emulate the glory days of 1994? 

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World Cup 1994 skills

The best skills from the last US World Cup, featuring Maradona, Klinsmann, Hagi

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The Perfect start 

It's easy to get carried away after one result, but Sweden's emphatic win over Tunisia on Sunday night has really made everyone stand up and take notice.

Going into the group, Graham Potter's men were ranked as the third-placed option in most places (bar this writer in our own predictions), with the Netherlands and Japan most favourable to go straight through to the knockouts.

After all, Sweden didn't even win a game in qualifying and only secured their World Cup berth through the play-offs thanks to their performances in the Nations League last year. 

Yet, following the demolition of a team who, in Tunisia, aren't ranked as one of the real minnows of the competition, the Scandinavians have laid a marker down, and already have a toe in the next round. 

Their 5-1 win means that they can now go into the other two group games knowing they've banked a win and notched several goals; that should at least put them in the hat for one of the best third-placed teams, even if they run into trouble against the Dutch and Japanese. 

The relief of topping the group and knowing what they have banked could now give them a sense of freedom that could be bad news for the other sides in the pool. 

Potter's magic?

The win was a huge moment for Graham Potter, too. 

He's a manager who's been somewhat ridiculed in some circles after seeing his stock fall at Chelsea and West Ham, following the impressive job he did at Brighton. 

And although he had shortcomings in both those London jobs, the chaos that's clear in both East and West of the capital at those clubs would suggest it wasn't just about his performance but his surroundings, too. 

The Sweden post has been a clever move. He's gone back to the country where he made his name, where he freely admits he feels 'Swedish', having spent almost a decade in the domestic game and earned his coaching stripes. 

Away from the glare of the Premier League, Potter's gone back to what he does best and made his team hard to beat, but also relied on that sprinkling of magic he has at his disposal. 

The combination of being a very good coach and already knowing the culture and footballing ways of a country almost gave him a head start, and now, on the grandest stage of them all, we are already seeing it pay off. 

Only two defeats since he took over in October suggest that Potter's methods are getting across and could now explode in a way few were predicting before the tournament. @svenskfotboll

Elite attackers

Much like the team of 1994, Sweden have talent, but the blend in style and a system that works for the squad is their strength. However, the killer blow comes from two aces in attack. 

Thirty or so years ago, it was Brolin and Dahlin, but now they get to call upon Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres in a partnership that is arguably the most lethal of the whole field. 

Both come with questions, yes, but if the answers go Sweden's way, they could be the most dangerous dark horse in the tournament.
@svenskfotboll

Is Isak fit and firing after a season of frustration at Liverpool? While he may not have come in as the player we saw a year ago, his fitness may just be peaking at the right time for Sweden, and with that comes the finishing that we all know he has in his locker.

So, although he's had to sacrifice a campaign of disappointment at Anfield, the striker could be hitting top form just in time for his national team. 

Is Gyokeres as good as his record suggests? A season of scoring over 20 goals for the Premier League title winners suggests yes, as does his performance in the first game.

If the pairing can carry that form into the rest of the tournament and Potter can be the calming, calculated coach we saw on the South Coast, then Sweden could do more than turn heads in the States. 

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