In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, 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, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. 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 time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing 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 done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – 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, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting 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 essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the past or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
