In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained 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 pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition 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 squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition 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 kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team supporting 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 turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your closest allies, 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 FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, 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 best that I can be rather than worrying.”
