For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it 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 certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, 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 stood by 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 kept 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 forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that 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 spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” 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 before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back 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 help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
