For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status remained secure after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence from Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as he could be. Which would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
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 appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to display what we can do.”
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 shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most stunning show of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one of the 24 who are fit have been retained – 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 less serious one.
The Manager’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – 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 retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an positive in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing 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 fix this. He was speaking about a “close-knit group” within the team 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. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these become your best friends, 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, previous managers and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have performed a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy so much being here and I know the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the side continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this chance and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of stressing.”
