For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the next 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 sustained an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the team’s going to be, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul 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 period when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works 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. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Team Unity
His choice to overlook 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 rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – 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, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen 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 don’t have many days on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
