For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available 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 more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been rendered 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 last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite 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, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding 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 team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely being here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
