For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp 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.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move 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. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. 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 trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “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 just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last 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 more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be 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 place in Milan’s Serie A team. 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 withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
