In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
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 squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must 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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still 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 positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
