For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
Tuchel selected 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 matches against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to practically doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “You know, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that camp and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning show of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Unity
His decision to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be ignored – 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 cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, despite 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 former now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the unit supporting the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Past accolades will not influence him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere 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’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the past or what is occurring in the campaign, you leave 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 great when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic role at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the players to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I enjoy immensely being here and I am sure the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about not playing in Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and concentrated and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
