In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain completely in the present, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games 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 games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender started in both and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA appointed him. “I think what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor 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 qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must not be ignored – 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 injured Adam Wharton, even though 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 group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, 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 creating an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
