For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact following 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 approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor 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 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 sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for however long 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 excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
