In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next 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 internal turmoil. 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 started in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one 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 obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the past or what is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
