For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth 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 camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must 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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds 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 debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the before or what is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
