For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure following 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 sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented 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. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite 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 forges bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
