In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
His decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
