For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain completely in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier 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 camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or what 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 however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
