For Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace defender had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a first-choice selection under the previous manager, and his status remained intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his first game in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi did next was exactly what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed transfer to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi reported with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in each and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his maiden strike for his country.
The faith cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can do.”
Belief as the Theme
Faith is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the child 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 sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Every one of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was obliged to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s choice to overlook the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the exclusion 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 replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being OK and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he forges connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting 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 message he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Being a good teammate will.
Building a Brotherhood
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always positive when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think each member has bought into that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players feel the same, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins welcome, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll always support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many days on this earth. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and help the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than worrying.”
