For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
The manager selected 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 fixtures versus Andorra away 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 natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against 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 camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
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 Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled 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 forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
