For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay 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 Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul 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 time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – 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 traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
His decision to overlook the returned 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 bit of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job 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 love so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
