For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired 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 chance, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled 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.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team 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 effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
