For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel 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 fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as composed as he could be. Which 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 games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face 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 show of support 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 fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Squad Unity
His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which 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 injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
