In the case of Marc Guéhi, a fleeting spark of uncertainty was natural. The Selhurst Park centre‑half had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice selection under Gareth Southgate, and his standing stayed intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the initial part of last season.
Then came the new boss, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the offseason of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Did Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the lineup for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, against Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was not able to pick him for his second camp in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra on the road and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had suffered an eye injury 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 states, looking back at his omission from Albania. “You know, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the team’s going to look like, it’s unknown who’s going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as composed as he could be. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, prevented his planned transfer to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi joined up with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a demon. Nobody would have been aware about any personal doubts. It is difficult not to see that gathering and those matches as a turning point for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel over. The young defender started in each and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his first international goal.
The trust works both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was a primary reasons why the Football Association appointed him. “In my view what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Whenever we receive the chance, we want to display what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Central Idea
Faith is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and devoutly 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 shaped it all with his player choices.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the last get‑together, those who had traveled to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so not Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have serious injuries. Or Reece James, who was forced to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Dynamics
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What should not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want missed – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to cover for the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having lost his spot in Milan’s Serie A side. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who stepped up for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the former 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 manager creates 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 it even a debate? Tuchel has essentially made it 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
It was with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how egotistical and divided their so-called talented era team 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 squad before his first game.
“There’s any tension between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. Whatever has happened in the past or whatever is going on in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is always positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at creating an spirit. Then again, it depends on the players to actually buy into that. I think every single person has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the lads do, too.”
Looking Ahead
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid sufficient; the wins positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the side build on the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The last thoughts go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about not playing against Albania. “But I was selected in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So for me, worrying can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this earth. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the teammates that I can – or improve personally – by striving to be the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
