In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply 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 show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding 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.
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 rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured 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 manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, 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 players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
