In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure 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 approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did 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, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor 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 qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence 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 fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
His decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – 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, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit 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 turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations 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 former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set 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, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing in 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 personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”