In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, 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 demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly 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 shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, 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 serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
