In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s spell 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 transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as possible. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – 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 play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for 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, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere 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 tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you leave that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen 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 only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
