In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel 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 versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, who knows who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – 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 Choices and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. 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 question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called golden generation team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment 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 anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
