In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain completely 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, blocked his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not just 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 face 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 show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice 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 bit of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want 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 surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
