In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked 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 trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – 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 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 injured John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
