For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward 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 signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
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 clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the campaign, 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 consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs 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 showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
