For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the starting XI for his first game 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, versus Latvia, also 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 victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned 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 man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
That which must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – 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 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 squad. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys 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 backroom team, have done a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the wins welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means 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, worrying can be a waste of time. You don’t have many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
