In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select 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 historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up 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 been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust 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 going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – 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 omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise 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 replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back 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 says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
