In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup 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 next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face 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 squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. 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 pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former 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 creates a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
