In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting flicker of self-doubt was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed secure following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, and it is important to recall that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it did not look promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which included the matches against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi states, looking back at his omission against Albania. “You know, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, who knows who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was what he typically does – stay completely in the moment, as composed as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a dramatic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a demon. Nobody would have known about any personal doubts. It is hard not to see that gathering and those games as a turning point for Guéhi, the period when he earned Tuchel over. The 25-year-old started in both and was particularly good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even contributing his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in each of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most stunning demonstration of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. 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 forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
The Manager’s Decisions and Squad Unity
Tuchel’s decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the conversation – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace 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 came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Here is how a manager builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel admired the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this session – and he believes in an positive in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Building a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and clique-ridden their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the squad before his initial match.
“There’s any tension between anybody,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or what is occurring in the season, you put that behind. You come here, these become your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently great when we’re here. The football association, past coaches and the squad themselves, the backroom team, have done a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Then again, it depends on the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the players feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that excites the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the wins positive, the first steps on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a natural human emotion,” he states about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the manager has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many moments on this planet. I’d rather be positive and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be rather than stressing.”
