For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up 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 came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway 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 colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team 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 initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
