In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 known about any internal turmoil. 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 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence 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 available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission 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 missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation squad 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 “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent role at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
