In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his status remained secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
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 tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His 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 made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. 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 group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support 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 positive and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
