In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
What Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just 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 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 last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – 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 hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager 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 waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
