For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move 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 demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
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 appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one 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 pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit 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 cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing 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 get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s 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 before or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love so much being here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than worrying.”
