For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status remained secure after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering 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 victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following 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 personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially good in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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 remarkable show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; 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 first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
