In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, 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 rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show 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 retained – 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 more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved 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 essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
