In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom 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 did not look promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer 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 worked like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the chance, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has supported 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 retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved 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 believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined 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 says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
