For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures against 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 natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up 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 pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit 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 more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Dynamics
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept 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 compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden 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 get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or what is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic role at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I am sure the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against 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 still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”