For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer 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. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive 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 meet 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 shaped 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 ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so not 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 Choices and Team Dynamics
His decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love so much coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
