In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – remain completely 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 planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “I think what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss 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 moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
