For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp 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.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware 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 25-year-old was selected in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the chance, we aim to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – 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 going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier 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 last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
What must not be ignored – 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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, 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 players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
