In the case of Marc Guéhi, a momentary flicker of uncertainty was understandable. The Selhurst Park defender had shone for England at the European Championships, cementing himself as a key selection under the previous manager, and his standing remained secure following the caretaker coach’s spell in the first half of last season.
Then came Thomas Tuchel, and it is worth remembering that this was the coach who had sanctioned Guéhi’s transfer from Chelsea to Palace in the summer of 2021. Guéhi definitely remembered that. Was Tuchel rate him? When the new broom swept another defender into the starting XI for his first game in charge, against Albania at Wembley in March, leaving 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 not able to pick him for his next gathering in June, which took in the fixtures against Andorra away and Senegal in Nottingham. Guéhi had sustained an facial knock during Palace’s memorable FA Cup final win against Manchester City.
“In my opinion it’s natural for every player to almost question that,” Guéhi says, reflecting on his omission from Albania. “You know, new manager coming in … it’s unclear what the squad’s going to look like, who knows who’s going to play?”
The thing Guéhi then did was exactly what he typically does – stay completely in the present, as balanced 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 difficult not to see that gathering and those games as a pivotal moment for Guéhi, the time when he won Tuchel around. The young defender was selected in both and was especially impressive in the five-nil win over Serbia, even adding his maiden strike for his country.
The trust cuts both ways. Tuchel has this knack of bringing players in, of empowering them; it was one of the main reasons why the Football Association hired him. “I think what the manager has achieved is show a lot of belief in every single one of us,” Guéhi says. “Any time we do get the opportunity, we aim to display what we can achieve.”
Belief as the Central Idea
Trust is the focus – and not only because Guéhi is the son of a church minister and deeply Christian. England face Wales in a exhibition at Wembley on Thursday night before traveling to Riga to play Latvia in their next World Cup qualifier next Tuesday and Tuchel has framed it all with his squad selection.
It was, quite, the most remarkable show of support in the players from the previous get‑together, those who had gone to Serbia and sparked Tuchel’s reign. Each of the 24 who are fit have been kept – so excluding Tino Livramento or Noni Madueke, who have long-term issues. Or Reece James, who was obliged to withdraw on Monday because of a more minor one.
Tuchel’s Choices and Squad Unity
His choice to overlook the fit-again Jude Bellingham has led the conversation – to the extent that the exclusion of Phil Foden, who is also fully recovered, has been made as a something of a afterthought.
What must not be ignored – and what Tuchel does not want ignored – is how he has supported Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was a last-minute addition in September to replace the hurt Adam Wharton, even though Loftus-Cheek having surrendered his spot in Milan’s Serie A team. Or how he retained Jarell Quansah, who came in for the unavailable John Stones in September, despite the latter now being fit and in the group. Though, Quansah himself was forced to withdraw on Wednesday because of a knee injury.
This is how a coach builds a performance-based culture, how he builds bonds. Tuchel admired the team behind the team in Serbia, the unheralded contributors on the sidelines, and he aimed to reward them. Bellingham or Loftus‑Cheek? Is that a debate? Tuchel has essentially turned it into one for this session – and he believes in an upside in the message he has sent. Reputations will not sway him. Being a supportive colleague will.
Creating a Strong Unit
Coinciding with good timing that Steven Gerrard spoke candidly in an interview with his ex England colleague Rio Ferdinand on Tuesday, disclosing how self-centered and divided their much-hyped talented era team was. The talent was not in doubt; it was the atmosphere that held them back and Tuchel is determined to get this right. He was speaking about a “brotherhood” within the team before his initial match.
“There isn’t any animosity between anybody,” Guéhi says. “We are, as we put it when we’re here, the England squad. No matter has happened in the before or whatever is occurring in the campaign, you put that aside. You come here, these are your closest allies, your colleagues, the players that you go to war with for as long as you’re here.
“The environment is always great when we’re here. The FA, previous managers and the squad themselves, the staff, have done a fantastic role at fostering an atmosphere. Additionally, it depends on the players to truly embrace that. I think every single person has bought into that brilliantly because I love immensely coming here and I am sure the others of the lads do, too.”
Future Focus
What Tuchel expects versus Wales is a performance that stirs the Wembley crowd. Those versus Albania and Latvia were steady sufficient; the victories welcome, the first steps on the road to the World Cup next summer. But they were not thrillers. Can the team continue the intensity they displayed in Serbia? The final words go to Guéhi.
“In my case, worrying is a natural feeling,” he says about being benched in Albania. “But I was picked in that squad. It means that the boss has chosen me for this opportunity and if I’m playing or not I’ll still support the team.
“So personally, fretting can be a futile effort. You only get so many days on this planet. I prefer to be excited and concentrated and assist the people that I can – or help myself – by striving to be the best that I can be instead of worrying.”
