For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after Lee Carsley’s spell in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look great.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp 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 against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his absence from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – stay completely in the present, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him 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 matches against 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 hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old was selected in both and was especially good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face 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 framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the last camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been retained – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a more minor one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Team Unity
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – 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, 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, although the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, 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 forges connections. Tuchel admired the team 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 effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an upside in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and clique-ridden their so-called golden generation team was. The ability 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 squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the players themselves, the backroom team, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. In my opinion every single person has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I know the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It signifies that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So personally, worrying can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this earth. I prefer to be positive and focused and help the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
