For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager selected 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 suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts 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 manager has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
