For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his standing stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal 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 first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as possible. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up 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 hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling 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 stunning show of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled 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 long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for 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 injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped golden generation team was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel wants versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance 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 days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
