For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … 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 typically does – stay firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. Which would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have known about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that camp and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender started in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate 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.”
Belief as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – 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 less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by 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 latter now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview 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 environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the before or what is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the side continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
