For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked 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 man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable 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 fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – 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 came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for 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 don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited 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.”
