For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter 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 offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did 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 summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love so much coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and if 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’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
