In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul 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 time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding 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 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 show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not 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.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported 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 kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” 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 whether I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
