For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – stay firmly in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against 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 camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association 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 display what we can do.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a pastor and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should 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 replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, although the latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t 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 whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has bought into that superbly because I love so much coming here and I know the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if 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 planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
