In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures against 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 question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain completely in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul 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 time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
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 available have been kept – so not 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.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt 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 injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
