In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer 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, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly good 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. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone 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 withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost 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 group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, 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 message he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
