For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought Dan Burn into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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, quite, the most stunning demonstration of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the group. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their so-called talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the before or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side build on the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he states about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and if I’m starting or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and help the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
