For Marc Guéhi, a momentary spark of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact after Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the following game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his next gathering in June, which included the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to practically question that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was what he always does – stay firmly in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move 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 demon. 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 time when he earned Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started 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 ability of drawing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “In my view what the manager has achieved is demonstrate a lot of faith in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we want to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Faith is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of confidence in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had traveled 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 serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Decisions and Squad Dynamics
Tuchel’s decision to omit the returned Jude Bellingham has led the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is likewise fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. 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 squad. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a meritocracy, how he forges connections. Tuchel admired the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the bench, and he wanted to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a question? Tuchel has essentially made it one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was talking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any tension between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. 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 consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent role at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched against Albania. “But I was selected in that group. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a waste of time. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I prefer to be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
