In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Crystal Palace centre‑half had excelled for England at Euro 2024, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained intact following Lee Carsley’s tenure in the first half of last season.
Enter the new boss, which is important to recall that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi certainly remembered that. Was Tuchel fancy him? When the fresh leadership brought Dan Burn into the starting XI for his debut in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving Guéhi as an unused substitute, it wasn’t promising.
The manager selected Guéhi in the next game, versus 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 suffered an eye injury during his club’s memorable FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s normal for every player to almost doubt that,” Guéhi says, looking back at his absence against Albania. “As you’d expect, fresh coach arriving … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, it’s unknown who is going to feature?”
The thing Guéhi did next was exactly what he typically does – remain firmly in the present, as composed as possible. Which would benefit him during a hectic end to the summer transfer window when the club chairman, Steve Parish, blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.
The following day, Guéhi reported with England for the matches versus Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade and he worked like a man possessed. 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 earned Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win against Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The faith works both ways. Tuchel has this ability of bringing players in, of supporting them; it was one of the main factors why the FA hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of faith in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we receive the opportunity, we aim to show what we can do.”
Faith as the Theme
Trust is the theme – and not just because Guéhi is the child of a church minister and devoutly Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before going to Riga to face Latvia in their next World Cup qualifying tie next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, simply, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous camp, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s tenure. Every one 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 obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a less serious one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His decision to omit the fit-again Jude Bellingham has dominated the discourse – to the point that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been rendered as a bit of a footnote.
That which should not be overlooked – and what Tuchel hopes won’t be missed – is how he has stood by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the injured Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he kept Jarell Quansah, who came in for the injured John Stones in September, despite the former now being fit and in the squad. Though, Quansah himself was compelled to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a manager creates a meritocracy, how he forges bonds. Tuchel loved the unit behind the team in Serbia, the unsung heroes on the sidelines, and he wanted to recognize them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has effectively made it one for this camp – and he believes in an positive in the message he has delivered. Reputations will not sway him. Acting as a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Brotherhood
Coinciding with perfect timing that Steven Gerrard opened up in an discussion with his former England teammate Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era squad was. The talent was not in question; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to fix this. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anyone,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we say when we’re here, Team England. No matter has happened in the before or whatever is going on in the campaign, you put that behind. You come here, these become your closest allies, your colleagues, the guys that you battle with for however long you’re here.
“The atmosphere is consistently positive when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have performed a fantastic job at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the individuals to truly embrace that. In my opinion each member has accepted that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the lads feel the same, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects against Wales is a showing that excites the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were solid enough; the victories positive, the initial progress on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not pulse‑quickeners. Will the team continue the cut and thrust they displayed in Serbia? The final words belong to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a normal feeling,” he states about being benched against Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the manager has opted for me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still back the team.
“So for me, fretting can be a futile effort. You don’t have many days on this planet. I’d rather be excited and focused and assist the people that I can – or improve personally – by being the best that I can be rather than stressing.”
