For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key pick under the previous manager, and his standing stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came 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 offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the team’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over 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 one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is show 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.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been retained – so excluding 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 Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise back to fitness, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – 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 injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, although the former now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges bonds. Tuchel admired the unit supporting 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 session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called talented era team was. The talent 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 first game.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m starting or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
