For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. Which would serve him well during a hectic 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 matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Nobody would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face 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 framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence 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 available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered 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 former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The talent 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 “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely being here and I know the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
