In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was 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 did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer 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 demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward 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. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “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 leave that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
