In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty 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 status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which included the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors 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. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered 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 injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. 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 squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
