For Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was natural. The Crystal Palace defender had excelled for England at the European Championships, establishing himself as a first-choice pick under the previous manager, and his status stayed intact following the caretaker coach’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter Thomas Tuchel, which is worth remembering that this was the manager who had approved Guéhi’s sale from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly recalled that. Did Tuchel fancy him? When the new broom brought another defender into the lineup for his debut in charge, versus Albania at Wembley in March, with Guéhi as an uninvolved reserve, it wasn’t promising.
Tuchel selected Guéhi in the next game, versus Latvia, also at Wembley, before he was unable to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the matches versus Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an eye injury during his club’s historic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
“I’d say it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi states, reflecting on his omission against Albania. “As you’d expect, new manager arriving … who knows what the squad’s going to be, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi then did was what he typically does – remain completely in the moment, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the Palace chair, Steve Parish, prevented his proposed move to Liverpool.
The next day, Guéhi joined up with England for the games versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he trained like a man possessed. Not a soul would have been aware about any internal turmoil. It is hard not to see that gathering and those matches as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the 5-0 win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of drawing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the Football Association appointed him. “I think what the manager has done is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can achieve.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the child 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 sixth World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable demonstration of confidence in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and ignited Tuchel’s tenure. Each of the 24 who are available have been retained – so not 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 fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the omission of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a bit of a afterthought.
What must not be overlooked – 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 injured Adam Wharton, despite Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. 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 knock.
This is how a coach builds a meritocracy, how he builds bonds. Tuchel loved the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the bench, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a question? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this camp – and he sees an upside in the signal he has delivered. Reputations will not influence him. Being a good teammate will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, revealing how self-centered and divided their so-called talented era team was. The ability was not in question; it was the environment that held them back and Tuchel is set to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There’s any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi explains. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, Team England. No matter has gone on in the before or whatever is occurring in the season, you leave that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you battle with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is consistently positive when we’re here. The football association, previous managers and the players themselves, the staff, have performed a excellent job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it comes down to the players to actually embrace that. I think each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I know the rest of the players do, too.”
Looking Ahead
That which Tuchel expects versus Wales is a showing that stirs the Wembley fans. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next year. But they were not thrillers. Will the team continue the intensity they showed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“For me, worrying is a normal human emotion,” he says about not playing against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It signifies that the boss has chosen me for this chance and whether I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many moments on this planet. I’d rather be positive and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by being the finest that I can be instead of worrying.”
