In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept Dan Burn 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 unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager 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 exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as balanced as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel over. The young defender was selected in both and was particularly impressive in the 5-0 win over Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the gaffer has done is demonstrate a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the focus – and not only 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 play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Every one 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Team Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knock.
Here is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he aimed to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even 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.
Building a Strong Unit
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere 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’s any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the past or what is going on in the season, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the guys that you battle 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 staff, have done a excellent role at fostering an spirit. Additionally, it comes down to the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has accepted that superbly because I enjoy so much coming here and I know the rest of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Can the team build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural human emotion,” he says about being benched 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 playing or not I’ll always back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this earth. I prefer to be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
