In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, 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 composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented 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 man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was particularly good in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not 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 Choices and Team Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, 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 stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
