In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure 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 sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
Tuchel selected 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 facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt 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, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – 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 more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss 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 moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
