In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was especially good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
