In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected 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 included the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face 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 stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. 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 pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – 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, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely being 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 sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts 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 group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
