In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil 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 Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone 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 more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I am sure the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
