In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against 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, also at Wembley, before he was unable 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 facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked 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 worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face 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 support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept 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 compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love so much being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
