Women's EURO 2025: Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson prepares for his finale

Aged 65, Peter Gerhardsson has determined that UEFA Women's EURO 2025 will be his fifth and final major tournament in charge of Sweden.

Having coached male and female sides at club level, Gerhardsson took command of the senior women's national team after the 2017 Women's EURO. Under his leadership, Sweden have reached the semi-finals at the 2022 Women's EURO, won bronze medals at two FIFA World Cups, and reached the Olympic final in 2021, losing out to Canada on penalties.

On his achievements as Sweden coach

We have enjoyed each other’s company, sometimes in quite pressurised and tough times – not least during the last EURO. In all the other tournaments, we have managed to reach the semi-finals. Both the staff and players are now heading into their fifth consecutive major tournament. Looking at the journey as a whole, it’s been very positive.

On his favourite aspect of this Sweden team

I am most proud of how self-sufficient they are. They are capable of managing things themselves both on and off the pitch. We set up tactics and lead the sessions, but within the group, the players push each other very well. Whether it’s training or matches, they maintain high standards.

You can see it clearly when Sweden is playing and there is a pause during a match – the players gather and talk things through. Other teams might just stand around, spread out, and miss that opportunity. [Our players use that time] to coach each other.

On Kosovare Asllani

If she does choose to retire [after the finals], she’ll leave behind a legacy as one of Sweden’s greatest and most influential players. She’s worn the captain’s armband for a long time, alongside Magdalena Eriksson. She is a strong leader, and as a player, she is quite unique – she is incredibly brave on the pitch and not afraid to take risks or make mistakes. I also think it’s worth pointing out that Kosovare Asllani covers more ground than anyone else in our squad.

It further shows her character. She's also much more defensively skilled than people often give her credit for – she contributes a lot to our pressing game high up on the pitch. She has many qualities and she is just a fun person to be around, which maybe not everyone knows, but I certainly do.

Kosovare Asllani: 'She is incredibly brave on the pitch and not afraid to take risks'Getty Images

On his tactics for the finals

We do change things around quite a lot. I don’t like to use the word "adapt", because it sounds a bit defensive. I prefer to say that we aim to make it more difficult for the opponents. Set pieces are certainly one aspect, and even though we are good at that, every match brings new opponents, and often new ways to do things. The technical aspect of moving the ball to the opponent’s half is very important, and we have a few ways of doing that. But then again, we have changed and will probably change formations, as we have done in almost every major tournament. We are not a one-trick pony.