For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select 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 eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches 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 hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding 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 hired him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. 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 obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to omit the fit-again 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 something of a afterthought.
What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. 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. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered 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 fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” 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. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent role at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
