For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy 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 uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning show 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 fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“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 going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, 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 FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for 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 don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
