For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering 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 memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up 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 been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the chance, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet 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 demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up 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 came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate 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, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against 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 thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
