For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available 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.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a footnote.
What should not be overlooked – 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 place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team supporting 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 effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” 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 leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love so much coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
