In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed 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 trained like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each 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
His decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should 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 spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or what is going on in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as 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 job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
