In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against 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 camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender started in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be 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 surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward 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 message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. 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 cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
