For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the chance, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next 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 gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot 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 group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach creates a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the before or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
