For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled 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 spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not just 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 play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost 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 latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
