In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy 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 next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody 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 period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply 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 framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? 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. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the season, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus 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 thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
