For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing remained secure following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which 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 definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust 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 gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only 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 play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Unity
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – 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 surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
