In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of self-doubt was understandable. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, establishing himself as a key selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact after the caretaker coach’s spell in the initial part of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Stamford Bridge to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an unused substitute, it did not look promising.
Tuchel started Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, again at Wembley, before he was unable to select him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during Palace’s historic FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for any footballer to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
What Guéhi then did was what he always does – remain firmly in the moment, as balanced as possible. This approach would benefit him during a dramatic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, blocked 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 trained like a demon. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The 25-year-old started in both and was especially good in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding 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 reasons why the FA hired him. “In my view what the gaffer has achieved is demonstrate a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi comments. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we want to show what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the theme – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their sixth World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are available have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was forced to pull out on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His choice to omit the fit-again 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 afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his place in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. However, Quansah himself was compelled to exit on Wednesday because of a knock.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds connections. Tuchel loved the team supporting the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is it even a debate? Tuchel has effectively turned it into one for this session – and he sees an upside in the message he has delivered. Past accolades will not sway him. Acting as a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
It was with good timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an interview with his ex England teammate 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 set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the squad before his first game.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. Whatever has gone on in the past or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You arrive here, these are your best friends, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the backroom team, have done a excellent job at creating an atmosphere. Then again, it comes down to the individuals to actually buy into that. In my opinion every single person has accepted that superbly because I love immensely being here and I am sure the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the path to the World Cup next year. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Can the side continue the cut and thrust they showed in Serbia? The last thoughts belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, anxiety is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing 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 still support the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a waste of time. You only get so many moments on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
