For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed secure after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was especially good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “I think what the gaffer has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence 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 fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a footnote.
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 surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. 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 immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
