In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with 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 not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in both 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 knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not 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.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the exclusion 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 supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, although 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 builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. 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 players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I love so much coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
