For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road 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 any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up 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 known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly 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 player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited 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 less serious one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called golden generation squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“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 before or what is going on in the season, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly buy into 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 players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
