For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s normal for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – remain completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained 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 turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in each and was particularly good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a pastor and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also back to fitness, has been made as a something of a footnote.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in 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 knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Past accolades will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their much-hyped golden generation squad was. The ability was not in question; it was the atmosphere that limited them and Tuchel is set to get this right. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You arrive here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much coming here and I am sure the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the side build on the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
