In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned 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 worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind 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 camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent 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 isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
