In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA appointed him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed 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 gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. 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 say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as 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 truly embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
