In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence 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 kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His decision to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be 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 lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former 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 talking 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. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive 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.”
