For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able 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 memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked 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. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling 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 confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s decision 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 made as a something of a footnote.
That which 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 replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
