For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his status remained secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so not 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 Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
