In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain completely in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus 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 hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though 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 former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; 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 squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
