The nation's football federation (SvFF) felt they had no option but to act, though, as the atmosphere around - and allegedly within - Dahl Tomasson's team had turned toxic, resulting in the "Danish bast*rd" being dismissed before the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign had even concluded.
Intriguingly, Sweden have now turned to another foreign coach to resurrect their hopes of securing a spot at next summer's tournament in North America, with Englishman Graham Potter taking over less than a month after being fired by West Ham.
So, where did it all go wrong for Dahl Tomasson? And is Potter really the right man to get the best out of a side blessed with a forward line worth £235 million ($310m) that is presently struggling to score goals and suffering from a collective crisis of confidence?
Change of direction
Change of direction
It felt like the Swedish national team had hit rock bottom after missing out on Euro 2024. Not since 1996 had they failed to reach the finals - but, on this occasion, they hadn't even gone close. Sweden won just three of their qualifying games and finished nine points adrift of second-placed Austria, and 10 behind group winners Belgium.
Given Sweden had also been eliminated in the play-offs for Qatar 2022 by Poland, the SvFF unsurprisingly felt it was time to bring an end to Janne Andersson's seven-year spell as coach. They also brought in Kim Kallstrom as their new director of football and the retired midfielder, who made 131 appearances for Sweden (and four for Arsenal!), was immediately charged with finding a worthy successor to Andersson.
"That is the No.1 priority," Kallstrom said on December 6, 2023. "But I think we need to take our time. We need to analyse a little bit where we are, why we are there, where we want to go, how we can get there, and who the people are who are going to implement all that."
Kallstrom ultimately decided that the man to turn the national team around was Dahl Tomasson, the ex-Denmark forward who had just parted company with Blackburn Rovers by 'mutual consent' after a run of eight Championship games without a win.
