In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did 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, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able 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 eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented 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 trained like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing 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 faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face 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 framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, 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 long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which 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 cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in question; 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’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “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 campaign, you leave 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 environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
