For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against 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 camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we aim 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 church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team 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 question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t 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 what is going on in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
