For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move 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. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only 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 squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support 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 kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered 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 last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite 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 builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway 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 ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
