In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, 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 certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel 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 matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer 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 man possessed. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender started in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding 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 decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence 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 teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked 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, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
