For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed 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 coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which included the matches 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.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked 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 internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, 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 sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says 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 still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
