In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of self-doubt was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had shone for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under Gareth Southgate, and his status stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi definitely recalled that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the fresh leadership swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the following game, versus Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was not able to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an facial knock during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who is going to play?”
What Guéhi did next was what he typically does – remain completely in the present, as balanced as he could be. This approach would serve him well during a hectic end to the offseason window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported 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 matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the period when he won Tuchel over. The 25-year-old was selected in each and was particularly good in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary factors why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Whenever we do get the chance, we aim to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England meet Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going 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 last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available 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 dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a something of a footnote.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a late call-up in September to replace the hurt 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. However, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach creates a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the unit behind 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 essentially turned it into one for this session – and he sees an positive in the signal he has sent. Reputations will not influence 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 egotistical and divided their so-called talented era squad was. The ability was not in doubt; it was the environment that limited them and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was talking about a “close-knit group” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you leave that behind. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your teammates, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently great when we’re here. The FA, past coaches and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually buy into that. I think each member has bought into that brilliantly because I enjoy immensely coming here and I know the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel wants against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley fans. Those against Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Will the team build on the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, anxiety is a natural feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that group. It means that the boss has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m starting or not I’ll still 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 excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the finest that I can be instead of stressing.”
