For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part 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 Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain completely in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we do get the chance, we want to show what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just 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 sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or what is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely coming here and I know the others of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
