Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, Potter explained the specific role Lindelöf plays beyond his position on the pitch — one that he regards as important as anything the 31-year-old produces with the ball.
"As a coach you have your own voice and staff, but it's also important to have someone in the squad that you can share your thoughts and ideas with and check that everything is okay, and that the players are on the same side."
Potter continued: "Off the pitch it's also important that we as a group act and understand things in the right way. He has done that very well and his experience on and off the pitch has been invaluable to us."
He also credited the captaincy itself with bringing out a better version of the player.
"I also think the responsibility has helped him take the next step in his game. He was very good in the play-off matches and has been fantastic. He has also had a really good season and we are very pleased with him."
Lindelöf has spent the 2025-26 season operating as a defensive midfielder for Aston Villa under Unai Emery — a position shift that has added a new dimension to his game at club level. The role he fulfils for Sweden at centre-back, where his composure and reading of the game have been central to the team's defensive structure throughout qualifying, remains separate from his club evolution.
Sweden qualified for the 2026 World Cup by navigating a play-off campaign, with Lindelöf outstanding across both legs. Potter's assessment that the captaincy itself has accelerated his development is one of the more interesting observations from the camp — the suggestion being that leadership has sharpened a player who has always been technically proficient but perhaps previously underdelivered at international level.
Sweden face Tunisia on Monday in their opening Group B fixture. A win would give them immediate momentum in what is their first World Cup appearance since 2018 in Russia.