For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road 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 normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA appointed 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 opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so excluding 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 Team Unity
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – 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 place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize 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. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen 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 positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
