In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following Lee Carsley’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t great.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … who knows what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. Which would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult 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 both and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons 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 comments. “Any time we receive the chance, we want to display what we can do.”
Faith 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 next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a afterthought.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having lost his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a manager creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the message he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal human emotion,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has opted for me for this opportunity and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I prefer to be excited and focused and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
